Some rivalries are built on competition. Others are fueled by something much deeper. For Terrell Suggs, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t just another game on the schedule. It was a mindset that shaped his entire offseason, as revealed by the Baltimore Ravens legend himself.

“All my offseason, from the moment I was a rookie until I retired, it was like I have to prepare to play the Steelers three times a year,” Suggs said on the Road Trippin’ Show. “And this is when the game, you could hit. Like hitting was welcomed. You know what I’m saying? They were like, we want all of that. Happen to play the Steelers three times a year and happen to get over that Steeler hump. Man, that builds you, man. Like these two teams hate each other.

“Don’t get it twisted. It’s a large amount of respect because if they beat you the previous year, if they won, God forbid they won the Super Bowl, oh, my God, you got to live with that taste all offseason. If they win the division, you’ll get over it eventually. You’ll get over it until training camp comes around. But the hate and the intensity of the offseason, like, that’s all we did.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens face each other at least twice in every season since they belong to the AFC North division. Over the years, their rivalry has only intensified, and Terrell Suggs gained firsthand experience of that during his 16 seasons with the Ravens.

Suggs, in particular, was also part of several buzzing moments poking their rivals on many occasions. To be precise, Suggs frequently wore provocative, custom-made shirts to media sessions leading up to games against Pittsburgh. The Ravens LB recorded a career total of 17+ sacks against Roethlisberger, the most the quarterback suffered against any single player.

As a result, Suggs once famously stated regarding the Steelers’ legendary QB, “God can have his soul, but his a** belongs to me.”

These banters were not one-sided, though. The Steelers lead the head-to-head record 38-27. And Terrell Suggs revealed the hate and criticism against the Ravens whenever they struggled to overcome their rivals, particularly in the playoff games.

When Suggs represented Baltimore, Pittsburgh won the Lombardi twice (Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII). Even in his overall career, Suggs had a 14-16 record against the Steelers. During the Super Bowl XLIII run, the Steelers even had to go through Suggs and the Ravens in the AFC Championship game to get there. And they overcame that challenge by defeating Baltimore 23-14.

So, in seasons like that, the Ravens had to spend the entire offseason with constant criticism around their ears.