Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Elvis Dumervil only needs 10 sacks this season to hit the 100-sack mark in his career.
However, it’s more than 10 he wants this year. Dumervil reportedly has a note in his locker with the number “23” on it. This is the magic number that would beat Hall of Famer Michael Strahan’s single-season mark of 22.5.
“If I can hit that number, that’ll mean we’ll be in the Super Bowl for sure,” Dumervil said during minicamp last month, via The Baltimore Sun. “You try to win games, you try to win championships. To me, there’s nothing more important, because you can have the stats and accolades, but if you’re sitting home, it really doesn’t do any justice.”
While that might be a lofty goal, it’s important to remember that Dumervil just tied his career high with 17 sacks this past season. That was enough to break the franchise record that was previously set by Peter Boulware in 2001.
Dumervil continued:
“I think that’s a great achievement to try to reach. So, the opportunity is there and that’s not always the case with everybody. I’m grateful for that. It just shows the consistency, and I don’t take that lightly.”
If the pass rusher does meet that goal, it obviously doesn’t mean the team will end up winning the title. However, it could spell trouble for the quarterbacks he plays this season. After all, the likes of Blake Bortles, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Tannehill, Alex Smith, Josh McCown, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger (all Ravens opponents in 2015), found themselves in the top-12 in terms of times sacked last year.
Photo: USA Today Sports