OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said he respects the New England Patriots, but he still refuses to call QB Tom Brady by his name leading up to Monday night's game on ESPN between the two first-place teams.
Reporters on Wednesday peppered Suggs with questions about Brady. But a slightly smiling Suggs didn't budge, as read in the following exchange:
Reporter: "Tom Brady became the winningest quarterback in NFL history. What's your take on that?"
Suggs: "He's pretty good. Like I said, wins are wins and numbers are numbers. Numbers don't lie. He's pretty good."
Reporter: "Is it fair to say you really don't want to talk about Tom Brady?"
Suggs: "I'm like Marshawn Lynch. I know why I'm here. It's a big game this week. We're playing a good team. It's going to be fun."
Reporter: "You don't want to say his name, do you?"
Suggs: "I mean, it's going to be fun. We're going to have fun. It's going to be an interesting game. We accept the challenge."
Instead of saying Brady's name in recent years, Suggs has referred to him as the "quarterback from New England" or "the pretty boy from up north."
The feud between Suggs and Brady dates back to 2010, when Brady expressed his frustration about no flags being thrown after taking a hit by a Ravens player. Suggs and Brady jawed on the field and then traded barbs on the radio. Suggs said Brady and his then-three Super Bowl championships were "questionable."
In October 2013, Suggs was asked what he thought about Brady in an ESPN interview.
"I don't think that's appropriate for camera," Suggs said. "I don't like him, he don't like me. I don't like his hair."
On Wednesday, Suggs did show more admiration toward the Patriots organization than he has in the past.
"I mean, how many Super Bowls do they got? They got, like, four or five and played in, like, six or seven," Suggs said of the Patriots, who have won four Super Bowls and have appeared in six. "You can't do nothing but respect that. Wins are wins and championships are championships."
So who are the Ravens' biggest rivals: the Patriots or Steelers?
"That's pretty close," Suggs said. "We've had some legendary games with both of them. Nothing's bigger than Ravens-Steelers."