New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon is prepping for the NFL season by following a routine of his former Baltimore Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs.
Judon has taken Suggs’ routine of wearing a sweatshirt to practice in the dead heat of summer. He watched Suggs do the same thing in Baltimore and found tremendous success with his conditioning when doing so.
Suggs, a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, was a key piece for the Ravens’ defense for 16 years. He finished his NFL career recording 139 sacks and 895 total tackles in 15 seasons of play. He became an anchor for a fearsome Baltimore defense.
Judon has become a key figure for the New England defense in his own right. He has tallied 28 sacks and 120 total tackles in two seasons with the Patriots. Now, he is working on getting better, and he’s using the same method as Suggs to do so.
When touching on the subject in a recent notes column, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote:
Judon wears a sweatshirt to practice, even when temperatures are in the mid-90s and the humidity is thick, like this past Friday — which he said is a tribute to his former Baltimore Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs. Judon watched Suggs work his way into peak physical condition one year by doing it, while also sharpening his mental approach. “One of the greatest pass-rushers; this is one of the things I stole from him,” Judon said.
It’s certainly an unconventional approach given the hot temperatures. But it’s obviously going to take more than heat to put a halt to the Judon sack machine.
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