Pernell McPhee, Paul Kruger

Pernell McPhee and Paul Kruger prepare for Ravens practice. (Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun / August 14, 2012)

The Ravens' defense might need to become the masters of disguise to manufacture a fierce pass rush this season.

The loss of NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs to a partially torn Achilles tendon is expected to provide a serious challenge to the creativity of defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

Although the Ravens tied the New York Giants for third in the NFL with 48 sacks last season for the third-highest total in franchise history, that was achieved as Suggs recorded a career-high 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles.

"They obviously don't have anybody on campus that's capable of replicating Suggs' production," said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Ravens. "They're going to have to get more of an inside pass rush to offset not having Suggs. I think they'll have to be more aggressive with their schemes than they have been. You have to replace Suggs collectively."

The Ravens will lean heavily on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, one of the more dominant interior linemen in the game.

And they'll feature outside linebackers Paul Kruger and rookie Courtney Upshaw as well as defensive end Pernell McPhee.

Still, none of those players has approached Suggs' pass rushing skills.

"Suggs brings a unique power and speed to that hybrid linebacker-defensive end, but when someone gets hurt you ask yourself: 'Who's going to step up?'" former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann said. "They can get push up the middle with Ngata, and the ends will benefit. Sizzle is Sizzle for a reason, but I expect very little lag time in performance. The Ravens have always been a top-flight defense. I don't see that changing even without Suggs."


For Pees, who was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in January, , hiding his intentions is pivotal.

"It's tough for everybody because quarterbacks are smart, coaches are smart," Pees said. "They can figure that stuff out pretty good. The key is trying to disguise the blitz, make them think you're coming and you're not and vice versa. Every time you put in a blitz, you try to put in something coverage-wise that looks exactly like that.

"Every time you play coverage, you try to have a pressure off of that. It's just hard sometimes. Linebackers can't sit 5 yards off the line and pressure from there. So, disguise is always a big part of it."

Known for his cerebral approach, Pees has an instant recall of opponents' tendencies gleaned from studying countless hours of game tape.

The Ravens are counting on Pees' football acumen.

"Dean is a very, very sharp guy," linebacker Jameel McClain said. "A lot of people are going to find that out with his schemes. It's going to be interesting.

"Everybody knows what's at risk with Suggs hurt. Sadly, one person went down, but it's an opportunity for someone else and they all recognize that."

When Pees was the New England Patriots defensive coordinator (2006-2009), the Patriots were the lone team in the league to rank in the top 10 in scoring defense annually during his four-year tenure.

"He's the best I've gone against," Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "The reason is because he's very difficult to decipher what they're trying to do."

Added Ngata, who had five sacks last season: "He's great at just disguising a lot of things and making defenses look one way than the other."