Pernell McPhee wants to lead Ravens in sacks
Six sacks isn’t bad, but it won’t be the Baltimore Ravens’ best. In 2011, Pernell McPhee’s six sacks were second on the team to sackmaster Terrell Suggs. If McPhee wants to lead the team in sacks for 2014 like he says he does, he’s got some work to do.
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“That’s going to be hard to do when you have Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw and Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata on the field,” McPhee said, via BaltimoreRavens.com. It’s going to be hard, but that’s my personal expectation. I want to get at least seven or eight sacks this year.”
McPhee wants to prove that his rookie campaign in 2011 was not a fluke. The last two seasons combined, he has accounted for only 3.5 sacks. However, his production has suffered due to a rash of injuries. He is finally coming out an offseason without a major surgery and healthy.
“I want to stay healthy and play every play, play like it’s my last,” McPhee said. “I feel great right now, but there’s no telling when I’ll start hurting. I just want to play every play like it’s my last.”
McPhee will have to play with some desperation. The defensive line is perhaps the deepest position on the Ravens’ roster this season. He’s not in danger of missing out on a roster spot, but he may be hard pressed to see the field — especially if his production looks more like his 2012 and 2013 than it does 2011. He know his first step toward improvement.
“I’ve got some serious footwork – it’s stupid,” McPhee said. “It’s going to be hard for people to block me one-on-one all the way from the right tackle to the left tackle – even the centers and the guards.
“People look at the film. It’s not every play, but the majority of this offseason has been ridiculous. Some of them, it’s like, ‘Did he even touch ‘Phee?’”