INDIANAPOLIS –It's the upmost respect a position coach can receive from a player who will undoubtedly garner Hall of Fame consideration one day.
Terrell Suggs doesn't mince words when describing what Ted Monachino has meant to the second half of his NFL career.
"Monumental," Suggs says about Monachino’s influence. "The keystone, if you ask me.
"He's revamped my career."
It's a common theme you see in Monachino's six seasons with the Ravens.
There's no denying Monachino has been fortunate to coach a densely talented linebacker group.
But, starting with Suggs, Monachino has guided several Ravens linebackers to career years under the coach's tutelage.
The most high profiled of those seasons was Suggs in 2011.
Monachino and Suggs' relationship dates back to the early 2000s at Arizona State.
With Monachino as his college position coach, Suggs set an NCAA single-season record in 2002 with 24 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss. Suggs won the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation's top defensive player.
Suggs then entered the 2003 NFL Draft and was taken No. 10 overall by the Ravens.
Years of 11.0 and 14.0 sacks to start his NFL career were expected to be the norm for Suggs.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Suggs hit a lull compared to the Pro Bowl-numbers he put up in his first two professional seasons.
For the next five years, Suggs never reached double-digit sacks despite remaining very healthy.
In 2010, with the Ravens hoping to resurrect Suggs' career, they turned to Monachino as their linebackers coach.
"It's definitely a winning formula, and I love the guy," Suggs said in 2010 upon being reconnected with Monachino.
"I would play for him with one arm. I'm just flattered that I'm his player again."
What has followed Monachino and Suggs teaming up again has been 47 combined sacks in four healthy seasons. The individual pinnacle came in 2011 when Suggs was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.
Suggs' ascent isn't the only such situation in Monachino's six seasons with the Ravens.
There's Paul Kruger going from a situational pass rusher in 2009-2010 to a nine-sack guy in 2012. Kruger then cashed in with a big offseason deal from Cleveland in 2013.
With Kruger moving on, Pernell McPhee had 7.5 sacks for the Ravens in 2014. He turned that into a free agent contract from the Bears last offseason.
Monachino now comes to Indianapolis preparing to extend the same sort of on the field (and off the field) guidance that he did in Baltimore.
Labeled by Suggs as a "master educator and master motivator", Monachino knows why he had such an impact on the Ravens all-time sack leader.
"This game is based a lot on relationships," Monachino says. "With Terrell it was always truth and trust.
"I think those are the things that have to happen in any successful relationship. When you can assure yourself that those two things are going to happen in any relationship you are involved in, then now you can move on to making each other better."
