The Father Figure Of The Defense
August 17th, 2021
Defensive leader.
There is no doubt in Joe’s mind that whatever Tom Brady says, his fellow offensive teammates heed every word.
And it seems that the defense may have that guy too.
Oh, there are a bunch of players on defense that teammates have mad respect for. Jason Pierre-Paul springs to mind. And of course, Lavonte David.
But to hear Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians talk, Ndamukong Suh is sort of a father figure to the many young players on defense.
“Tremendous leadership – I mean teaching guys how to handle themselves,” Arians said. “He’s helped Vita [Vea] a ton with his diet and things like that.
“Suh’s a lot like [Tom] Brady, he knows how to take care of his body. He’s got a regiment. He talked me into it when we signed him. The way he plays, I’m not changing his regiment, that’s for sure.
“He knows how to get himself ready for Sunday. Suh’s one of those guys, he’s going to answer the bell every time. You just get him there.”
Joe has noticed during Camp Cupcake that Suh isn’t always on the field. That’s because he knows what it takes for him to be ready and when he’s ready, look out.
Take for example Joe Tryon. When Tryon got hit with that atrocity of a penalty for tackling Cincinnati quarterback Brandon Allen Saturday night, he later said when he came off the field, Suh advised him he needs to start shoving quarterbacks down to avoid putting himself into position for a referee to throw a stupid flag.
That’s Suh being a leader and a class teammate. Helping the young guys be the best they can be.
“I think Joe is a great kid – very, very smart,” Suh said. “He has picked up our defense pretty well so far. Obviously, a lot has been thrown at him being in so many different positions and really just having an ability to be out there and really add another element.
“I know he had a great hit on a quarterback the other day and that’s something you praise him for, but at the same time you tell him to be careful. He will learn to push quarterbacks rather than going across the bow on them. I’ve got a lot of experience with that, so I will share that with him and continue to do that.
“But he’s a tremendous talent. I am excited for him to be a part of this team, make this team and really get into the season and see how he can perform and play at a high level.”
It wasn’t that long ago that people tried to label Suh as a dirty headhunter who stomped on players. He is nothing of the sort.
Joe remembers one of Suh’s first practices with the Bucs. Suh took Will Gholston aside and was demonstrating moves. It didn’t take long to notice that Gholston was drawn to Suh and the two became tight.
Coincidence that Gholston has had probably his two best years as a pro since Suh arrived?
Both the Bucs and Bucs fans have come to regard Suh for what he is: a class act, a leader and an excellent defensive player that answers the bell each and every Sunday.
August 17th, 2021 at 8:09 am
“I told you boss!” A mic’d up classic.
August 17th, 2021 at 8:19 am
Bizarro world winning a Superbowl with him and not McCoy thinking back to draft day many moons ago
August 17th, 2021 at 8:27 am
Push the QB down with your fingers….gingerly, then help him back up quickly before they can throw the flag.
I’m looking for an illegal curtsy call….
August 17th, 2021 at 8:29 am
Seems the team is loaded with leaders. It’s all about team first and sharing experiences and knowledge to improve performance across the board. It’s so refreshing to be a Bucs fan now. And, thanks Joe for sharing these behind-the-scenes glimpses of different player’s personalities.
August 17th, 2021 at 8:53 am
Suh is such a beast. He’s a dog on the field; and a complete student of the game. I’ve got nothing but mad respect for the way Suh goes about his business. What a player, and thankful as hell he’s on our team. I don’t believe we are a champion without him, with what he brings as a player and leader.
JPP, Shaq, Lavonte, etc.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:05 am
Great article Joe & a long time coming. Our Bucs’ defense turned around the day we signed Ndamukong Suh back in 2019 IMO. It went from being #24 against the run in 2018 to being the #1 run defense in 2019 AND 2020. Coincidence? I think not. And now with our improved pass rush even our passing defense is steadily improving.
Suh’s influence in helping develop DLinemen like Vea, Gholston & Nunez-Roches can’t be overstated. And there’s no question that all of our LBs, outside and inside, benefit greatly from Suh’s mere presence in the interior. Ours truly is a ‘pick your poison’ Front-7.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:14 am
Let’s get him and TB and the fans another ring.
Suh the man beast
August 17th, 2021 at 9:19 am
Following this guy on twitter, its easy to see how smart he is. It’s crazy how organized his brain is. I can see why he is his own agent. He probably thinks real agents aren’t as smart as him.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:39 am
I always argued that 93 would end up in the Ring of Honor but that distinction may end up going to Suh instead of GMC especially if they win another Super Bowl.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:41 am
He should write a book, “The Art of the Sport Contract Agent” by Sun Suh. More players should learn to be their own agents. Sports agencies would probably buy them all up and burn them.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:56 am
Lavonte, Suh, Brady, Gronk, Gio, Marpet, even Winfield and Wirfs–the intelligence and maturity of the leaders on this team is outstanding. A strong locker room, as BA keeps saying. Contrast with Jameis, Hargreaves, etc…
August 17th, 2021 at 10:09 am
I wonder how many soldiers he has in his regiment?
August 17th, 2021 at 10:22 am
It must be nice to be a buc rookie. Imagine all those Hof worthy guys chatting every second is gold.
August 17th, 2021 at 10:42 am
It’s a REGIMEN, Joe. Not REGIMENT. You should be able to fix this and because all of my comments are up for approval you won’t look bad. I’ve never done anything wrong here except speak the truth. Someone’s got Zuckerberg syndrome.
August 17th, 2021 at 10:49 am
A couple more regiments and they’ll have a battalion. LOL. It’s great to see Suh being such a good leader. The Bucs are in good hands.
August 17th, 2021 at 10:56 am
Our Bucs’ defense turned around the day we signed Ndamukong Suh back in 2019 IMO.
*****************************************************************
IMO, it was when we sent gmc packing….lol…but who’s splitting hairs….lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
August 17th, 2021 at 11:08 am
Suh has been fantastic here. Plays hard and with intensity every play.
And still so dominating, that he can get in a QB’s head – right Aaron?
Great to see what a top notch professional he is. Huge addition to this team.
And as strong as he is- I think even a gentle shove by Suh could be flagged for unnecessary roughness!
August 17th, 2021 at 11:21 am
I hope he is giving classes on finances, no state tax means more cash for you, who cares about a little less for the slimiey agents. Give the bucs the home town discount! Keep the band together!
August 17th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
Suh has been awesome for us and he’s another great pick up by Licht. He deserves to go into the ring of honor before Gerald and may even have a shot at the hof.
August 17th, 2021 at 12:47 pm
Random thoughts about Suh …
1. He’s from Portland. I’m from Portland. That’s where the similarities end.
2. Not recruited by Oregon. HS coaches and players were scared of him.
3. Most dominant college defensive player I’ve ever seen.
4. Huge into nutrition. His dietician is a big reason Vea returned so soon.
August 17th, 2021 at 1:16 pm
Buczilla … None of us will ever know what ‘goes on behind the scene’ BUT … I seriously doubt that Suh would be a Buc today if Todd Bowles hadn’t signed up as our DC at the start of 2019. From what I remember reading, Bowles was relentless in trying to get Suh to sign with the Jets in 2018, but that never worked out (hey, they’re the Jets & I’m sure Suh could see the writing on the wall).
But when Bowles came here early in 2019, Suh didn’t hesitate to sign on with the Bucs. In his first interview (while vacationing in France) after he signed on, he really praised Bowles & Arians & you could tell from his words that he was excited to be coming here.
August 17th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
@Defense Rules
Cool story, thank you. If Suh signed with us because Bowles was adamant to get him here, even better and good on Licht for listening and pulling the trigger.
August 17th, 2021 at 2:34 pm
I love the story about Suh and Gholston. The improvement since Suh’s arrival is undeniable. Before that, you would be hard-pressed to convince me that he (Gholston) belonged.
August 17th, 2021 at 3:31 pm
Can we drop the McCoy ROH talk? We need to have some standards around that. Even those who are in the Ring, or should be (ahem, Wilder) who played through losing eras, had winning attitudes. McCoy was the head clown in a clown era. He and that era are best forgotten.
August 17th, 2021 at 3:46 pm
I bet Mahomes felt like he was dealing with a regiment on THAT DAY.
August 17th, 2021 at 4:30 pm
rather see suh in the ring of honor than mccoy.. just sayn
August 17th, 2021 at 8:29 pm
Suh should go in the HOF with the team that he won his Super Bowl ring(s).