A Suh View From Atlanta With NFC Draft Grades
May 26th, 2019
BY ZACHARY SEIFTER
JoeBucsFan.com intern
The newest Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Ndamukong Suh, has been the subject of conversation for many people in the sports world this week.
That includes the Hall of Fame voter from the Atlanta market, who decided it was time to give his two cents.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution took to his podcast, “The Bow Tie Chronicles,” to talk about the offseason of each NFC South team.
When Ledbetter got to the Bucs, he immediately talked about Suh and Gerald McCoy. But he veered off and started rambling about a game in 2011 between the Falcons and Lions in which Ledbetter claims Suh stepped on Matt Ryan.
It was actually Atlanta’s offensive lineman Will Svitek who stepped on Ryan, but Suh was accused of mocking Ryan when he got hurt. Ledbetter then finally discussed the potential impact of Suh joining the Bucs from the Falcons perspective.
“The Falcons’ revamped line is going to have to deal with him twice,” Ledbetter said. “He might be playing by the time the Falcons play Tampa Bay late in the season because the Rams didn’t want him back because he didn’t play hard until the playoffs. You know, once he got that money in Miami, he hasn’t really done a whole lot, but he’s still a load and, hey, I wouldn’t want to block him. And now the Falcons’ revamped line will have to see him twice a year.”
Harsh words for a player who was in the Super Bowl last year, and possibly the Rams best player in the postseason. It also has been said that the Rams didn’t bring back Suh because of budgetary constraints, not because he didn’t play hard.
(Fun facts: Suh had the 12th-most solo tackles among defensive linemen last year with 36 through the regular season. Gerald McCoy put up an embarrassing 17 solo tackles. For perspective, Chris “Swaggy” Baker had 24 for the Bucs in 2018.)
Ledbetter also discussed the drafts of each NFC South team. Three ranked in the bottom-5 in draft rankings according to his grades and analytics. The Saints ranked 28th, the Bucs 29th and the Falcons 30th. The Panthers were 12th.
Many have been critical of this year’s Buccaneers draft. But they addressed the defensive side of the ball with five picks in the first four rounds. That and replacing McCoy with Suh is going to give this defense an entirely different look.
Ranked 29th or not, that can only be a good thing.
May 26th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Man. If Suh buys in, we’re halfway there. The secondary scares me a lil though. Unproven. Still excited to see a new look TEAM.
Go BUCS
May 26th, 2019 at 9:44 am
I hope, Hope, HOPE the media reports ten times a day how Suh mailed it in last season prior to the playoffs. I hope it ends up really pi$$ing him off. I hope he comes into the season with a HUGE chip on his shoulder.
Instead of him mailing it in this season, I hope he ends up MAULING it in!
May 26th, 2019 at 9:46 am
I’m sure he’d be more comfortable seeing McCoy twice a year.
May 26th, 2019 at 9:52 am
…because you suck.
May 26th, 2019 at 9:52 am
Careful new guy……. pointing out Softie’s shortcomings with stats will get you in hot water with our delicate Gummie lovers.
Keep up the good work!
May 26th, 2019 at 9:54 am
what Ledbetter should have been more worried about is Bowles aggressive personnel schemes and blitzing from every position. Whole new defense with a lot more man coverages, no more coverage schemes like 20 years ago. Mike Smith was living in the past , no more.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:01 am
Todd—
I passed along the requested info to you under yesterday’s headline:
“Report: Browns Offer To McCoy “Likely Under $10 Million”
If you own a sense of humor there might be some laughter for the taking from “Don’t Get Mad-The In’s and Outs of Getting Even as An Entry Level Assassin.”
Sorry for the quotation marks, but I cannot italicize from my iPad—frustrating!
To keep from veering completely off topic:
Well researched, Zach. Keep it going!
May 26th, 2019 at 10:16 am
@Zachary … “Ranked 29th or not, that can only be a good thing.” Oh wow Zachary, an ever-so-slight whiff of positivity coming from the hallowed halls of JBF.com? How long did it take you to get that out of moderation? (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
For the Atlanta media to say that “the Rams didn’t want him back because he didn’t play hard until the playoffs” could benefit us this year. Tampa Bay MAY just be the home that Suh never really found in Miami or LA. BA & TB MAY be the coaches that he NEEDS to truly excel. Only time will tell.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:17 am
Suh’s presence along will put Brees,Ryan,n Newton on alert. They will be hesitant to stand in the pocket with comfort. Suh is mean n nasty so teams will have fear of him blasting n crashing in on the QB on any given play. QBs don’t expect to be knocked down on their butt by Suh n hear…my bad, my bad. BA knows what he’s doing.He watched last year’s plays n saw our defense get embarrassed week after week, especially the bears n Carolina games. We got no respect. The cultural has changed.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:31 am
Joe … Not looking to have this comment published on JBF or replied to Joe, but the ‘Awaiting Moderation’ thingie is really getting to be a downer, and not just for me apparently. Seems like virtually every comment I make recently has gone to Moderation, and apparently I’m not alone. Much more-so than ever before in the past.
I’ve noticed a lot of folks who used to comment regularly have pretty much stopped commenting, and some folks (like Succaneers or whatever other handle he chooses to use) have jumped onboard. That’s a turn-off to me because the ‘quality of exchanges’ shall we say is seemingly heading downhill. This SHOULD be a really exciting time IMO based on the major changes that the Bucs are undergoing, but here on JBF.com it’s seeming less and less like that. Not trying to critical; just being honest.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:32 am
JA—
Just ordered the paperback version of “Don’t get Mad–The Ins and Outs of Getting Even as An Entry Level Assassin” off Amazon. Can’t wait to read your work! Also read your post from yesterday that I indeed missed. Thanks for telling me about it.
I mean Todd thanks you for telling Todd about it. 😉
May 26th, 2019 at 10:45 am
That had the smell of a SAS rant with no objectivity whatsoever. Useless info but thank you for finally pointing out how horrible McCoy is in run defense. Makes me wonder how all these people for years looked at all 22 but only focused on his pass rush never highlighting how he gets pushed around in the run game, everyone except baldinger.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:48 am
You can’t get as many tackles when your secondary is never on the receiver. Teams don’t run on us like they used to since they know they have 72.5% through the air. Comparing the two on solo tackles is not where I’d start. I’m also tired of hearing about Suh’s playoff stats. GMC, through no fault of his own, has yet to appear in the playoffs so I’m not sure why you keep bringing this up about Suh as though it gives him an up over Mccoy. Mccoy gets more sacks in less games and I miss him. Sorry if I’m taking it out on you, Joe. Keep up the good work lol.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:52 am
Also why is it That seemingly every other team in the NFL tosses these delinquent players that aren’t worth dealing with yet our fanbase is always so eager to snatch them up? Seems like there are a lot more teams after GMC than were after Suh… doesn’t that tell y’all anything? Remember, we are the second worst team in the NFL so don’t think that we know something the other teams don’t
May 26th, 2019 at 11:00 am
Yeah 29th what horse crap!!! Hey how about we wait till these fools actually play some games -_-
May 26th, 2019 at 11:01 am
I think if we let our young secondary play more man to man it forces the wideouts to have to work for every catch. With Mike Smith’s off coverage there were way too many uncontested catches. Now the DB’s can hand check at the los and use their youth and speed to stay tight. Our FS’s play will be even more important than ever with this coverage. They are the last line of defense. Our young DB’s will probably lose a lot of battles but they will win a lot too playing in tight. That alone already makes our secondary better. For example after Smith was fired our secondary was allowed to close the cushion and they started to play better even with a bunch of backups. So this tells me we should do better as long as we can put some pressure on the QB’s.
May 26th, 2019 at 11:06 am
Joe … Have written code before, but it’s boring as all git-out. Sounds like you might be as frustrated with your IT people as I used to be with mine. …. Guys, there’s no issue. You don’t all get Joe’s sarcasm through the comments. There are many people in moderation because Joe put them there, or posts go to moderation for a wide variety of reasons. Joe’s fine with it. If you’re not, then just read the copy, which is what 90+% of readers do here. –Joe
May 26th, 2019 at 11:06 am
Imo Suh is just an overall better player than Geraldini, the stats as well as the tape confirm this…
People say Suh takes plays off, but imho the same could be said about McCoy who at times seems to disappear for quarters…No player will admit it but I think to an extent they all take plays off, especially the older guys…it’s a 60 minute ballgame and a long season and you need to have as much left in the tank down the stretch as possible…
Imho, this team/the defense in particular needed and attitude adjustment…And personally I’d rather have the defensive tackle that’ll bodyslam a QB and kick dirt in their face over a defensive tackle that’s smiling all the time, dancing while his team is down 3 TD’s, and apologizing to QBs for hitting them to hard…
I expect Suh and Vita to cause some legit problems for opposing offensive lines…
May 26th, 2019 at 11:14 am
@Joe
How is it that the best writer you have on is an intern? This kid is good. I, personally, consider Zachary to be JBF’s version of Trevor Sikemma. Keep up the good work, Mr. Seifter
May 26th, 2019 at 11:19 am
Thanks. But there is no malfunction going on. Commenters are moderated, blocked or free, and key words are filtered. –Joe
May 26th, 2019 at 11:41 am
Zachary quickly moving up to the top of JoeBucsFan writers
May 26th, 2019 at 11:51 am
Again, guys, Joe’s commenting/moderation system is by design and honed over many, many years. And Joe is very happy with it.–Joe
May 26th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
carolina ranked 12th in the draft😁. Now that’s funny. Have y’all examined carolina’s draft??? If not do so and come back and explain to me what part of it deserves a 12th tank designation. You already know I’ll wait.
May 26th, 2019 at 1:42 pm
I’m just glad Joe put me in permenant moderation. Been banned a few times before and I hate going to the red board to talk Bucs football. Too many analyitical nerds over there for my taste.
May 26th, 2019 at 2:00 pm
New, proven coaches. A defensive line replacement that does not get blown
Off the line on running plays. Now get rid of JPP and bring in more players.
May 26th, 2019 at 2:18 pm
@OneBuc55, you’re absolutely right. Most players are physically unable to give 100% every play of every game. Guys would be retiring with 3-year careers if this were the norm. I remember Reggie White disappearing for quarters at a time too, but you know what he did do that McCoy NEVER did? White showed up in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. He would flip a switch and get back-to-back sacks to end the game. When has McCoy every won a play when the team absolutely needed him to?
May 26th, 2019 at 2:46 pm
I’m pretty sure Swaggy didn’t have 24 tackles with the Bucs in 2018. His royal- lardness wasn’t on the team!
May 26th, 2019 at 6:23 pm
D. Orlando is a great writer. He is not a scout by any means. Orlando may have football knowledge but he hasn’t watched all the tape or done board work with the players. I give as much creedance to JBFERS draft grades. Which is not much. But I do like you Orlando. Atlanta’s interior line is gonna call in sick when Suh and Vea come to town.
May 26th, 2019 at 8:15 pm
Joe’s moderation system just sent me a highly inappropriate message asking me to touch myself in my special place. Calling Goodell right now.
May 26th, 2019 at 10:00 pm
I actually like being in moderation from time to time. Mostly because it means Joe is reading what we write. And sometimes, the target lands, for example, ‘Shill Joe’ who’s entertaining ways were extra excitable with The Sage a few podcasts back. And took a shot about the Cardinals new HC’s Scheme off a post and talked about it on another podcast.
In other words, take it as a compliment.
Moderation and all, I love what you guys do!
May 26th, 2019 at 10:01 pm
And true to form, I’m being moderated! Hi Joe!