Suggs on Brady's praise: 'Say what?'

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs has sacked New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady many times. On Tuesday, it was Brady who nearly caused Suggs to drop to the ground.

After years of trash talking, Brady surprisingly complimented Suggs during his news conference.

A reporter told Suggs about a half hour later that Brady had something nice to say about him. "Say what?" Suggs responded.

Another reporter told Suggs that Brady called him "phenomenal."

"Did they record him?" Suggs asked. "I'd love to see his face [when he said it]."

Suggs and Brady have been cordial over the past couple of years. But there is a long history of bad blood between them.

They've jawed at each other on the field. They've traded barbs on the radio, where Suggs said Brady and his three Super Bowl championships are "questionable."

Asked to describe his "relationship" with Brady, Suggs said Tuesday, "It's the same that all defensive players have with quarterbacks. He's a quarterback; I'm a defender. He's got a job to do; so do I. So, there's naturally going to be some disagreements there."

Suggs, who often talked about how Brady would get favorable calls from officials, refused to take a shot at his old nemesis.

"They said it best: Nobody is worried about what happened in the past," Suggs said. "All we're worried about is this game. At the end of the day, it's about football."

Both teams and coaches have been complimentary of each other.

"Our focus is on the game," Harbaugh said. "We have enough to worry about with the opponent we're going to play, how well-coached they are, how good their players are."

The only thing that remained the same was Suggs refusing to say Brady's name.

When asked who was the quarterback for the Patriots, Suggs said, "He's the quarterback for the New England Patriots."

The Patriots host the Ravens on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line.