“He’s Home Waiting For The Right Call”
September 24th, 2022“Maybe I’ll stomp you in January, Aaron.”
OK, Joe will admit it.
This article, just a wee bit, is for those folks who refuse to believe Ndamukong Suh has fallen off a cliff and is retired, never to return to the Bucs.
Joe remembers the Friday night rookie Logan Hall was drafted as the first pick in the second round. In his press conference after the draft night ended, Joe asked Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht if drafting Hall meant the door was closed on a return of Suh.
Oh no, Licht insisted. You never know when injuries will pile up, Licht said.
So here we are in Week 3 of the regular season and the guy ostensibly signed to replace Suh, Akiem Hicks is out with a foot injury for a month or more.
On the best damn NFL radio show in the land, “Movin the Chains,” with co-hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, the duo discussed what the Bucs may do at defensive tackle without Hicks.
And Suh’s name came up.
Jim Miller: The big boy is out, Akiem Hicks, right? He’s got the plantar fasciitis.
Pat Kirwan: We’ve got to stop trusting that guy. He’s a nice player to talk about in the offseason. But Jimmy, does he break down almost every year now?
Miller: The last three years in Chicago he was broken down. And he had significant injuries. I think one was a dislocated elbow. He had a calf last year that caused him some starts and he just wasn’t right. He wasn’t as effective. This injury could linger.
Kirwan: Yeah. Somewhere along the line you have to take a look at these medical risk guys when their age is also a factor and a history. It’s tough. I feel bad for him. [The Bucs] are going to have to overcome it without him.
Miller: How come nobody has gone after “The Mercenary,” Suh? Where’s Suh?
Kirwan: He’s home waiting for the right call.
Miller: If I was the Bucs I’d consider re-signing him.
Kirwan: If Tom [Brady] wants him, they will sign him. If Tom wants him, he will be there.
Joe has no idea if the Bucs are really interested in bringing Suh back.
Longtime NFL Giants and Eagles beat man Matt Lombardo of Heavy.com thinks Suh returning to the Bucs is a no-brainer.
The Buccaneers are an ideal landing spot for Suh, and have everything the veteran defensive lineman would want from a destination.
Having already won a Super Bowl ring with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers back in 2020, Suh could be a perfect fit. Especially if the Buccaneers are looking to upgrade interior defensive line depth behind Vita Vea. …
Tampa has many of the pieces in place to make a Super Bowl run, in a fairly wide-open NFC, and Suh could provide a spark down the stretch.
Could it be Licht is waiting to see how the Bucs do tomorrow against the Packers and/or next week against the Chiefs before making Suh and offer?
Or does Suh have unreasonable contract demands?
If you believe BSPN’s run stop win rate stats, Suh had the second-worst win-rate of all defensive tackles in the NFL last season. That might give any general manager pause in signing Suh, no matter the price.
September 24th, 2022 at 8:24 am
Suh.
September 24th, 2022 at 8:31 am
SUH needs to be here, plain and simple!!! Assuming he wants to play still
September 24th, 2022 at 8:33 am
He had the biggest play from anyone on our D in the playoffs last year. In addition to the fact that our D was stout with him DESPITE his personal numbers, THAT means something.
Just look at our QB this year
September 24th, 2022 at 8:48 am
Suh.
The reasoning is simple: We are down a DL and need one.
Suh.
September 24th, 2022 at 8:50 am
Hicks is basically done. A top heavy fella…with a recent and consistent injury history suffering a foot injury? Even if he tries to come back…he’s literally one false step away from aggravating it.
Suh is built to last…never missed a game due to injury. Obviously not at his peak…maybe the time off would be a blessing in disguise up until this point. He’s a finance guru and may be holding out for top dollar…or the price has perhaps even has gone up for The Bucs given the circumstances.
September 24th, 2022 at 8:56 am
I find it interesting that when Nassib was re-signed he first wore #93 – then changed to another number. Wonder why no Bucs are wearing #93?
September 24th, 2022 at 9:04 am
S U H
September 24th, 2022 at 9:08 am
Used car
September 24th, 2022 at 9:13 am
SUH
September 24th, 2022 at 9:26 am
Suh as fallen off. We saw it last year. Everyone keeps screaming for him. The dude is a shell of his former self. Hall vea n naches will get it done till hicks is ready. I trust our GM. Do you ?
September 24th, 2022 at 9:39 am
The Bucs’ run defense is also “a shell of itself” without Suh! A.J. Dillon is massive & the other back (forget name) is very good. They could win tomorrow’s game & may very well, if the run defense doesn’t improve vastly tomorrow!
As per usual, I suppose the Bucs will lose a game or two before the obvious & inevitable signing of Suh.
September 24th, 2022 at 9:41 am
*Waiting for the right call while raising twin toddler boys who are about the size of 3rd graders by now. I hear one of the Suh boys already has an agent and has been refining the 1-2 of his rip & swim techniques, respectively lol.
September 24th, 2022 at 9:41 am
Suh
September 24th, 2022 at 9:51 am
No reason to bring him in yet we are undefeated. Let’s see how this game goes Sunday, if Vita goes down we need him till then just rest up Suh maybe we’ll get you before playoffs
September 24th, 2022 at 9:56 am
He’s not coming back. Get over it
September 24th, 2022 at 10:12 am
The silver lining here is that the longer they wait, which is a risk in itself for him to sign with another team, he theoretically should play for less and less money with each passing game. I hope he remains unsigned and we pick him up for 4-5 million between Halloween and Thanksgiving. That should give him enough time to conditon himself into game shape before the playoffs. I hope that is the strategy for Burly Suh and Gronk. That way the Bucs have enough cap room for both players.
September 24th, 2022 at 10:15 am
S U H
Suh was not a shell of himself, and the run defense was way better.
SUUUUHHHHEEEEYYYY!!
Even whenever Hicks comes back, how long until the next thing to put him on the sideline? His body has betrayed him for the last 4 years now, Hicks cannot be counted on.
SUH
GO BUCS!!!!
September 24th, 2022 at 10:23 am
Can we please get off our A$$ and make Sue an offer on a one year deal that suits both sides, he was worth more keeping that JPP IMO, he will step in and really give an already great D line even more umphff.
I don’t see how we haven’t made this call already- it would go like this-
Jason Licht- Hey Suhie- You really to lace them up for us again? Can you be here here in like the next hour-
Sue- Actually Jason, Im already in the parking lot at One Buc Place.
September 24th, 2022 at 10:28 am
Of course Suh isn’t the same player, but we signed broken down Hicks. Suh can not play 3 downs for sure, but to come in on 1st and 2nd down, I think it would def improve the run defense. Then you bring in the rookie as a 3rd down specialist, dude is just too undersized right now to be solid consistently against the run. I don’t know what Suh wants, but for a 2 mil deal with possible incentives, why not? I trust Licht, but why not SUH! Obviously, if I say bring in GMC instead, a lot of dudes would get triggered! Lol
September 24th, 2022 at 10:39 am
Will will Jason learn? SUH!
September 24th, 2022 at 11:12 am
No brainer indeed. Why wait for the possible return of a 300 lb glass paper weight when a granite doorstop is available now. Suh, may be slow, he may have lost some push, but he’s available. Better to have a boulder that offenses have to run around, than a brittle glass man on the sidelines
September 24th, 2022 at 11:19 am
Absolutely not. Suh is terrible at this point. Great player. Future Hall of Famer. But there are dead bodies in an ally somewhere that can play better than he did last year.
September 24th, 2022 at 11:21 am
Suh is not the guy he used to be and wants way too much money!! He WAS one of the worst DT in the league last year … Or RE whatever you want to call him in this defense! He basically just took up a lot of space! … That money is far better spent on O-line depth!! At this point they can no longer ignore it!! Let’s face facts here, it’s only the 3rd game of the season and they’re down to their 3rd string LT, have a rookie LG, a second year center who is also appearing to be a bit injury prone and people you’ve never heard of coming in to protect the greatest QB in the league who just so happens to be a 45 year old man!! … They need to be in DESPERATION mode right now at finding a good veteran guy that can play along the entire offensive line and spend whatever they have to in accomplishing this!! … The O-line is the biggest weakness of this team it just hasn’t completely shown up yet, but it will when it counts the most!! …. The receivers will get healthy, Beasley is a great compliment to this team but Tom Brady makes average receivers look good! (That is when he’s on the field day and night working with them and not taking cruises and days off) …. Stop worrying about the receivers and defense (don’t try to fix what’s not broken on D) and get this O-line solidified or Brady is going to get smashed and they will have Fornette hobbling into the stretch!!
September 24th, 2022 at 11:28 am
WD – they released him in the off-season. Suh is a prideful man. Good chance the call would go like this. Hey Suh it’s Jason and then Jason would hear a click on the other end. I would be shocked if he came back with his tail between his legs to the team that just told him they didn’t want him anymore.
September 24th, 2022 at 11:37 am
‘Joe asked Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht if drafting Hall meant the door was closed on a return of Suh. Oh no, Licht insisted. You never know when injuries will pile up’.
OK Jason, the injuries are starting to pile up. And not just for the Bucs; for other teams too. Hicks MIGHT make it back in a couple weeks, BUT who’s to say it won’t recur or that he won’t get injured again, and a very inopportune time.
Call Suh a ‘mercenary’ if you want, but give him credit for being a beast in the trenches AND for being a very good businessman. We’ve all heard it before … ‘He who hesitates is lost’. I have no idea how much Suh’s willing to play for this season, BUT … the longer we wait, the greater the chances that some contender like the Rams will opt to pay him to keep their hopes of winning the Super Bowl alive when THEY suffer injuries or when their DLine proves to be ineffective.
And BTW, BSPN’s run block win rate (and pass block win rate) is BS; highly subjective in that it’s all based on how BSPN defines it. For instance, if an Olineman sustains his block for at least 2.5 seconds, it’s considered a pass win. If a defensive player beats the blocker in less than 2.5 seconds, it’s a win for them. Here’s how they define it for run stop/block: In run stop win rate, a defender can earn a win by doing any of the following: beating his blocker so he’s in better position to stop the runner; disrupting the pocket or running lane by pushing his blocker backwards; containing the runner such that he must adjust his running lane; or recording a tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage. If a defender earns a run stop win, his blocker earns a loss, and vice versa.
Now ask BSPN who’s doing the evaluating (using THEIR criteria of course). To say that Ndamukong Suh is the 2nd worse DT is total horsepuckey.
September 24th, 2022 at 11:40 am
I like Suh too, but the problem is Money!
Suh, imho, has greatly overvalued his services, and that is why he remains unsigned by ANY team.
September 24th, 2022 at 11:57 am
It’s all Madden , no the All Brady team.
Sign everyone you can to get the third ring. I thought the 2020 team was the best ever, this one might be better
Don’t come up short by one player.
The US military is the best in the world not because we have the best Aircraft carrier there is, it’s because we have more of them than the rest of the world combined.
If the bucs can make Rodgers looks like he always does against us, then all the playoffs go through tampa. There hasn’t been a NFC championship game in Tampa since 1979….
This is Tom last year, that’s oretty obvious, after that it’s rebuilding. Let’s send him off a champion.
September 24th, 2022 at 12:01 pm
Availability is the best ability. Suh may have lost a step or 2 but that’s still on par with the average DT walking the street. The problem is getting his price tag in alignment with his current ability. I’d love to see this signing for the right price.
September 24th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Chris … ‘I like Suh too, but the problem is Money!’
You being a businessman Chris know much better than most what kind of a slippery slope results when you undervalue your worth. Kudos to Suh IMO for not going down that path; he KNOWS what he’s accomplished and what his value is.
That said however, how Suh values his worth and how the Bucs value his worth obviously don’t align (and BTW, we as fans have ZERO idea how each has valued his worth; nor do we know how much he’s asking). That’s the beauty of NEGOTIATIONS.
On the offensive side, Bucs have added Gage, Julio, Beasley, Rudolph, Perriman, plus drafted TWO TEs & 1 RB AND re-signed Godwin for a boatload of money. I don’t know how many mega-millions changed hands to do all that, but it was a BUNCH.
On the defensive side, Bucs added Hicks to a 1-yr contract ($8 mil), re-signed Vea ($18 mil/yr), Davis ($15 mil/yr), Gholston ($4.5 mil for 1 yr) & Nassib ($1.2 mil for 1 yr), added Ryan & Neal to our Secondary for very little ($2.4 mil total for 1 yr), plus drafted Hall & McCollum. IOW, beyond our starters, our depth is meh. We need to fix that quickly to make a run for the gold.
September 24th, 2022 at 12:36 pm
DR,
Again, we are down a DL, so somewhere, we need one. I’m sure the coaches are looking at all their available options such as the PS. If the coaches grade their back-up / PS players higher than Suh, then Suh is simply not an option in their mind. All speculation, I realize.
I would like to see Suh added for depth, for championship pedigree and grooming the youngsters, and for his experience and savvy especially in games that count.
September 24th, 2022 at 12:58 pm
Our D is healthier and faster than last year and it shows in the product everywhere….except run defense. What’s changed there? Suh. Stats are a manipulation of data to prove your point, but when applied to an individual within a team dynamic they tend to massage out the sum of the whole for an abstract look at an individual.
@Sorryjack, I absolutely agree with your take, but this is not a mutually exclusive situation. The Bucs need meat on BOTH lines.
We can all stop pretending that we are capologists or that we have a clue what Suh is asking. It’s all a sliding scale. I get the takes that you believe Suh is past prime, but enough of the pseudo accounting justifications for inaction. If there is a will…
September 24th, 2022 at 1:01 pm
If Suh is so terrible and worthless, why is it that he logged near double the snaps that the others had. Vea is real good, but apparently cant stay on the field too long before he needs a breather. If Suh rested (rotated) that much maybe he’d be more effective. Might throw the precious stats off some. At this point Suh’s best ability may be his availability. Plus he brings some nasty attitude to the entire D which would be welcome…
September 24th, 2022 at 1:08 pm
it’s like suh personally offended licht? he’sa beast and basically gave us a great chance against the Rams …sign him already
September 24th, 2022 at 1:38 pm
Suuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………
Or gmc
September 24th, 2022 at 2:51 pm
I’d go with SUH before GMC. SUH has that mean streak in him. Nobody is pushin him around on that D line. Make it happen Licht.. SUH time
September 24th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
Come on Gump, I’ve been saying sign Suh and JPP all along- too late for one….I bet JPP has 2 sacks for Baltimore this week
September 24th, 2022 at 3:55 pm
The “run stop win rate” is a joke stat imo. Some teams are flat out scared to run at Suh so that right there is a “win”. Suh and Vea together are a presence in the middle that has to be game planned for. Suh may not be “the old Suh” but I’m sure he’s more than capable of rotating in and having an impact.
September 24th, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Betting on rookie defensive lineman to be effective is ALWAYS stupid. Yes, rarely, some guys come in and can play from day one. But Hall is not that guy, watch his film, he’s throwing around offensive lineman on these small schools that look like they weigh 250lbs. That’s in no way saying Hall won’t be good, I have no idea if he will or won’t, but almost never do guys who played at a low level of competition, who aren’t special in terms of measurables, those guys take a year or two before they’re ready. If I’m wrong, then fantastic, the team is in great shape, but you should never ever bet on that.
Oh, and the other position you never bet on rookies doing anything? That would be TE. Sure, you can have one just play the role of a blocker, and they’ll do fine. But a rounded TE that can block and catch, again, those guys generally take a year or two to develop unless they’re special, physically.
September 24th, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Susan doesn’t care if it’s Brady, he’s not giving a discount for anyone
September 24th, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Just don’t break the bank
September 24th, 2022 at 5:42 pm
My Momma says seeing Suh get into Aaron Rogers head late this season, would be well worth it..
September 24th, 2022 at 8:47 pm
It doesn’t matter what BPSN stats say. Stats are for losers. When Suh was here we were stopping the run. Get him back here, Licht!
September 24th, 2022 at 9:44 pm
If not Suh, then someone solid enough who can help shore up an obvious hole on the DL until Hicks returns (or replace him altogether). Suh, Sheldon Richardson, Vernon Butler (he can still pass rush), Malcolm Brown.
Yes, Suh regressed last season but you can’t argue with what he did vs. the Rams. That is the kind of impact needed on a rotational basis in a committee, until they come up with a longer term plan. Should have done that this spring, but didn’t. Logan Hall is a crap shoot and a rookie.
September 25th, 2022 at 7:14 am
SUH and if you cannot see that – you are football ignorant.