A Man Named Suh: Why Ndamukong Suh Is the Best Defender in the Game

A boy named Suh. 

Ndamukong Suh is the most dominant interior lineman that no one is talking about this season.  Well I shouldn’t say no one.  After the Missouri game smatterings of a “Suh for Heisman” campaign were heard all over Husker Nation.

Not just Husker nation though, even throughout the world of ESPN and Sports Illustrated.  One man even had Suh in his top five for the Heisman after that week.  Was it an overreaction to a brilliant game, or was it recognition for a phenomenal body of work?

Ndamukong means House of Spears in Cameroon.  And to offensive linemen it seems like a house of spears is being hurled at their quarterback and their running back every snap of every play. 

Sometimes Suh is double and even triple teamed, but when that happens Jared Crick, Baker Steinkuhler and players like Barry Turner and Pierre Allen get into the mix, taking, at least for a moment, some pressure off of Ndamukong.

Ndamukong Suh has become a household name in Nebraska, and the nation shouldn’t fool itself, he will become a household name in the NFL too.

You see, Suh is seen as the most dominant defensive tackle in the game, not because he does what a defensive tackle is supposed to do, but he does that and what a middle linebacker should do.  Suh has the ability to rush the passer, read the run, drop into coverage and even pick of passes and block kicks.

Name another defensive tackle in the NFL or in the NCAA that is known for all of those things and I’ll show you a hall of famer.

Just last year Ndamukong Suh had two interceptions for touchdowns, and also became the first interior linemen  to lead the Huskers in tackles since 1973 with seventy-six. 

Looking at Suh’s stat line from a year ago you can see what I mean.  He had 76 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

But big man Suh doesn’t just do it defensively.  Last season in goal line situations the big man lined up as the full back a myriad of times.  Suh has the soft hands and the athleticism to play that spot.  In fact last season he even caught a touchdown pass from Joe Ganz.  Name another defensive tackle that has done that and again I’ll show you a hall of famer.

In 2008 Suh accounted for 18 of Nebraska’s 460 points on the year.  Not something generally attributed to a defensive tackle at the collegiate level.

2009 started off with a lull for Suh, but he is in mid-season form now.  Games against Virginia Tech and Missouri speak for themselves: pass deflections, sacks, run stopping, and interceptions all kept Nebraska in those two games. 

Suh again leads the Husker team in tackles with 44 on the season; ten of those are tackles for loss.  Suh is also fifth in the Big 12 in pass break ups with eight, including one interception.   That statistic is particularly astounding because not only is he fifth in the Big 12, but he is tied for 22^nd in the nation.  A spot normally dominated by defensive backs doesn’t see another lineman crack into the top 100 until Broderick Binns  from Iowa cracks it at 79^th .

Not only that but Suh leads the team in sacks with five and has forced a fumble as well.

But there are things the stat sheet doesn’t say about the House of Spears.

One is that nearly every game teams double and triple team him, yet his numbers have yet to go down.  Suh is also the vocal leader on the team, he can even be seen spurring on the offense when their performance is lack-luster.

Sure, there are other great defensive tackles in the game, like Terrence Cody for Alabama, or Gerald McCoy for Oklahoma, but neither of them hold a candle to the type of athlete that Ndamukong Suh is.

McCoy may be a great interior linemen but he doesn’t do the stuff Suh does, and his statistics show it.

The SEC has generally been the defensive conference in the NCAA.  So when Suh is mentioned as the best defensive tackle in the game people get suspicious.

How could Suh be better than Terrence Cody?  Cody, the outstanding Defensive Tackle for the Alabama Crimson Tide is a force to be reckoned with to be sure, but he is not the athlete that Suh is.

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