Ndamukong Suh Reportedly Caused 'Confusion' for Dolphins Defense vs. Jaguars

Through two games in a Miami Dolphins uniform, Ndamukong Suh has only three tackles and is yet to record a sack. If reports are to be believed, Suh's struggles are also putting a strain on his teammates—especially when he deviates from the planned play call.

Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reported Sunday that Suh "freelanced" on certain plays in Miami's 23-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, causing "confusion" among Dolphins players. Beasley did not specify the play types or how exactly Suh is freelancing, but head coach Joe Philbin denied his star defensive player was causing issues within the team's game plan.

“I just watched the entire tape with [the] entire defensive staff,” Philbin said, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post. “I don’t know where that came from.”

Regardless of the reported issues, it's clear Suh's first two games in Miami have been far worse than planned.

The All-Pro defensive lineman is currently the third-worst run-stopping defensive tackle who qualifies for Pro Football Focus' metrics. He's slightly better in terms of pass-rushing productivity, yet his performance level is a marked deviation from his run with the Detroit Lions.

"I couldn't tell you," Suh said when asked why he's struggling, per Beasley. "At the end of the day, we have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we want to run so guys can make plays and go from there."

Jeff Darlington of NFL Network made a salient point about the situation:

The Dolphins rank 23rd in total defense heading into Monday night, giving up 372.5 yards per game. They have recorded one sack as a team, good for a tie for 28th, and they have allowed opponents to rush for 284 yards thus far (27th). 

Given the playoff expectations for Miami heading into 2015, these defensive struggles aren't helping matters. Their loss to the Jaguars on Sunday will be viewed as borderline inexplicable if it costs them a playoff berth. Blake Bortles threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the best performance of his NFL career, taking advantage of a Miami defense that hit him just three times.

Suh has never had more than 10 sacks in a season, but his inability to generate much of a pass rush is concerning. The Dolphins will need him to be better to right the ship.

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