There were a lot of factors or reasons that add up to an acceptable excuse for the 2 time franchise player.

First of all it was not a smooth transition from having a Rex Ryan coached defense to not, even though Mattison is a very good coach it took a while to adjust to a different style and schemes. The entire D went from below middle of the pack after 6 games and 3-3, to #3 in the NFL after adjusting to a different DC than one of the best they have ever had.

Seconds, Sizzle had an ankle or foot injury at the start of cam after "skipping OTAs" or "holding out for a new contract". He was not in great shape and did not work his way into shape during camp or while rehabbing the ankle so he was off to a slow start while JJ and Pryce who were healthy were taking advantage of the 1 on 1 blocking he still created for them.

Third Lady Quinn Medicine woman took a dirty dive at his knee just when he was starting to get into shape and took him out for most of the rest of the regular season. In the playoffs, he did show up getting after Brady early and often and at least pressuring Peyton into a low scoring game the next week.

I think just getting in shape would give us the Suggs we saw from 2006-2009 that is versatile enough to give you 100 tackles and 10 sacks, but adding the depth and complimentary pass rushers to take the focus off him could lead to more of a 15 sack season and a lot more big plays from Darth Sizzle and the rest of the Ravens D that had a lot of injuries.