Ndamukong Suh Reportedly Told Dolphins Teammates He Runs Miami's Defense

Ndamukong Suh drew a line in the sand with his Miami Dolphins teammates ahead of Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com's Kevin Patra), Suh made it clear he was the top guy on the defensive side of the ball:

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I'm told he told them: "I run this defense, I'm going to be here for the next five years, there is no guarantee any of you will be as well. Only a handful of guys are good enough to play with me right now." He also said the schemes were not good enough, the techniques were not enough and everyone needed to be better, he said "follow me."

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Rapoport added that reaction in the Dolphins locker room was mixed, with some viewing Suh's declaration as "the kind of address a leader would give," while others essentially disregarded the message.

Shortly after the report surfaced, Suh responded on Instagram:

On one hand, having your best defensive player taking a leadership role and telling his teammates to "follow me" is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, the optimism is offset by the remainder of Suh's comments, since he criticized both the coaching staff and those on the field around him.

Ever since the Dolphins signed Suh to that massive six-year, $114 million deal, the partnership hasn't quite worked out as expected—a point to which WEEI.com's Jerry Thornton alluded:

According to Football Outsiders, Miami's defense has actually taken a step backward, ranking 17th in defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in 2014 but sitting 25th through Week 11 in 2015.

Suh has remained one of the NFL's best defensive tackles, with Pro Football Focus ranking him No. 5 among all interior defenders. However, that's not to say his presence on the field has always resulted in a net positive for the team.

In September, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reported Suh was "freelancing" during certain plays, which threw off his teammates' assignments and hindered the defense as a whole.

Considering the length of his contract and the amount of money he's owed, the Dolphins can't easily part ways with Suh if things continue turning south. His contract is guaranteed through 2017, so that would likely be the earliest Miami would even consider cutting him should the situation become untenable.

Miami staked a lot of its future in Suh, and in order for the gamble to pay off, either his demeanor will have to change or the team will need to reshuffle its defensive personnel to better accommodate his needs.