Ask Terrell Suggs what his impressions are of this year's ASU football team, and you'll get a straightforward assessment.
"We have way too much talent to be mediocre," the junior defensive end said.
In Suggs' case, that statement holds true. The Chandler Hamilton High School product has already used his talent to make a name for himself in his first two seasons with the Sun Devils.
Suggs ranks fifth all-time in career sacks, while coming in seventh overall in tackles for a loss. In 11 starts last season, he recorded 42 tackles, with 24 of them unassisted — good for tops in the Pac-10. Suggs also forced four fumbles and broke up three passes.
But unlike in previous years, Suggs isn't concentrating on his individual numbers anymore. Instead, he now prefers to concentrate only on two numbers: wins and losses.
"I know that type of stuff doesn't matter unless the team wins," Suggs said of his record-setting statistics. "This year, it's more of let the team do good and if the team does good, then I do good."
It's a revelation Suggs owes to his mother.
"My mom is my toughest critic," Suggs said. "She said to take the focus off of me and focus more on my team and what we're trying to accomplish."
Like playing better defense and improving on the No. 8 ranking the unit marked in a season rife with missed tackles. That's why there are three more numbers Suggs will think about this season. Numbers that, unlike last fall, he feels comfortable uttering.
What are the former stress-causing numerals? 4-2-5, as in ASU's defensive scheme.
It was a defensive plan widely criticized by those who felt the Sun Devils were leaving themselves wide open for the big plays, the type they would be unable to rebound from. But with a full season of the scheme under his belt, Suggs expects nothing but positives on the horizon.
"We really believe in the scheme this year," Suggs said. "Last year, we were a little hesitant about it. A 4-2-5 in the Pac-10, we weren't too sure how it was going to work.
"We all just trust in the scheme a little bit more and see it's going to take more than one person to make the plays on defense for us to win. Everybody's stepping up."
Including Suggs, who describes himself as the catalyst of ASU's defense.
"I supply the energy," Suggs said. "The defense feeds off me, and once I get going, we get going."
However, the Sun Devil defense defers to senior linebacker Solomon Bates most of the time. Bates has received the nickname "The General," and Suggs said the pseudonym fits perfectly.
"We are like an army," Suggs said "We're going to follow him. I told him he leads, I will follow and we will get the other guys to come with us."
That could come in handy this fall. After sneaking up on opponents for the past couple of years, Suggs' success on the field has started attracting double teams, making a cohesive unit that much more valuable. As important as learning how to anticipate and breakdown double teams — something Suggs has worked on all spring.
"I'm already getting a taste of what's going to be happening to me next year," Suggs said. "I'm glad they're doing it early. I can learn to defend it and have some fun with it.
"It's a learning process. I can afford to lose right now because it's my teammates. But when it comes down to August and September, I can't afford to lose those battles anymore. I'm just happy I'm seeing them now."
Reach the reporter at al.stevens@asu.edu.
