Status quo for troublesome yet talented Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong Suh "freelancing" on defense is not the least bit surprising and only exposes ineptitude in Joe Philbin and the Dolphins' coaching staff.

Chris Burke | Sep 21, 2015

Status quo for troublesome yet talented Ndamukong Suh /

A tip when it comes to Ndamukong Suh: Don't allow yourself to be surprised.

The Miami Herald's Adam Beasley reported Sunday, following the Dolphins upset loss in Jacksonville, that Suh "strayed from [defensive coordinator] Kevin Coyle’s script" and "freelanced at times Sunday, creating confusion on the defense."

If true, Suh's behavior is disruptive, bordering on insubordinate—especially in light of the $114 million contract Miami handed Suh this off-season to become the centerpiece of its defense. (Coach Joe Philbin denied the claim during his Monday press conference; the Herald stood by its report.)

It's also not all that outlandish a claim considering what Suh has shown us in five-plus NFL seasons. When he is locked in and motivated, he can be as dominant as any defender in the league short of J.J. Watt. When he's not, well, it becomes a lot easier to notice his aloof, enigmatic personality, both on and off the field.

His former teammates in Detroit consistently had Suh's back whenever criticism inevitably surfaced, be it regarding Suh's play or his behavior. When Suh hit free agency this off-season, several Lions spoke about how much they wanted him back and how critical he was to their defense. (At least, at first—once Suh signed in Miami, their tone changed to downplay Suh's departure.)

They often had to answer for Suh in the press because he preferred not to do so himself. He would pass on interview sessions, skipped OTAs and generally operated on his own schedule.

Had he been a lesser talent, the Lions may have taken more issue. Since he claimed Defensive Rookie of the Year, four Pro Bowl invites and three All-Pro nods between 2010-14, the organization was more willing to cut him some slack.

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Miami surely knew what it was paying for back in March. A couple months later, after Suh sat out the first set of team workouts, coach Joe Philbin stressed, "This is a voluntary offseason program"—all veteran players, not just Suh, had the right to skip. The local media and Dolphins fan base quickly toed the same company line most in Detroit had for many years: So long as Suh shows up on Sunday ...

And that's fine. Such an arrangement would not work for every player, but it seems to serve Suh well. Expect him when it counts; let him do his own thing otherwise.

His track record indicates that Sunday's letdown in Jacksonville will be a blip on the radar soon, at least from a personal level. Suh has not near lived up to his lofty free-agent price tag, but just once last season did he go three straight games without a sack. The plays will come. Unless he completely shuts down with a new contract under his belt, Suh is far too talented for them not to.

There is that stormy possibility, of course—that Suh maxed out his effort level just before hitting free agency and now coasts, Albert Haynesworth-style. The oft-criticized Philbin also may have a spotlight shined even brighter on his leadership style, should Suh continue to go rogue.

So far, though, this is nothing that far out of the ordinary. The two unproductive games from he and the entire Miami line are problematic, to be sure, but not necessarily emblematic of a Dolphins team unprepared for playoff content.

Not yet.

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Trying to analyze Suh within the context of Random Generic Player is pointless. Whether it's fair or not to the rest of his teammates, Suh has always been permitted a little leeway. He has been quick to point out, too, that he almost never misses mandatory practices (for injuries or other factors) and has played in all but two games during his career—both on suspension for stomping Green Bay's Evan Dietrich-Smith.

Slumps like the one he's battling to start 2015 have come and gone. The Dolphins will be careful not to let Sunday's situation, whatever it was, spiral into more than that.

Until it does, chalk this up to typical Suh. No surprises here.

GALLERY: CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS IN SUH'S CAREER

Ndamukong Suh's Controversial Moments

Before he even played his first official snap, Suh announced himself as a ferocious, if not dirty player. In an exhibition game against the Cleveland Browns in August 2010, Suh charged through the defensive line and yanked quarterback Jake Delhomme's facemask before tightening his grip and throwing Delhomme down by his head. Suh was fined $7,500 for the hit.

Suh has a history with Bears QB Jay Cutler, starting with a nasty forearm shove, during a game in December 2010, that was deemed a blow to the head and cost the defensive tackle $15,000. Replays later showed that Suh actually hit Cutler above the shoulder pads and below the neck, but the hit was still deemed a fineable offense.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton received a rude and highly illegal welcome to the NFL by Suh when the then-rookie had his helmet ripped off in the 2011 preseason opener. The hit, similar to the one Suh put on Delhomme, earned him a $20,000 fine. Suh was none too happy about the response as he would tweet: "$20,000REALLY???!!"

Suh was voted the dirtiest player in a Sporting News poll of 111 players on 31 teams. Suh won in a landslide over the Steelers' James Harrison.

In a November 2011 game, Suh ripped Cutler's helmet off while taking the quarterback down.

In a Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers in 2011, Suh became tangled up with Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith and eventually stamped the lineman after standing up. The act earned Suh a two-game suspension without pay and sullied his reputation in the press and throughout the league.

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images

In an October 2012 game against the Chicago Bears, Suh laid a controversial but decidedly legal hit on quarterback Jay Cutler, a player that he has terrorized in the past. Suh chased Cutler to the sidelines before grabbing his shoulder pad and violently driving the quarterback into the ground. The NFL determined not to fine Suh for the hit.

Suh was fined $30,000 for kicking Houston quarterback Matt Schaub during a Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 22, 2012. After Suh was taken to the ground, his foot swung toward Schaub and hit him in the groin area.

During the 2013 season opener, with 14:09 left in the second quarter, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder threw a pick to Detroit outside linebacker DeAndre Levy, who appeared to take it to the house for a touchdown. However, Ndamukong Suh negated the score when he put a clearly illegal block on Minnesota center John Sullivan. The NFL levied a $100,000 fine against Suh for the low block.

Suh was fined $31,500 for a hit on Cleveland quarterback Brandon Weeden in Week 6 of the 2013 season. Suh's hit did not draw a penalty during the game, and it appeared that he actually let up a bit on Weeden. Suh and Weeden also had another run-in during the Lions' win. On a Weeden scramble in the third quarter, Suh grabbed him and tossed him to the ground with authority. There was no penalty called there either (and probably not one warranted). Regardless of which play was in question, there's little question that Suh's reputation came into play here.

Suh was suspended for one game (an NFC Wild Card game) for stepping on Aaron Rodgers' leg during the fourth quarter of a 30-20 Packers victory in their last game of the 2014 season, which clinched the NFC North for Green Bay. Suh was not flagged on the play. Rodgers had injured the leg earlier in the game while throwing a short touchdown pass to receiver Randall Cobb. In the NFL's official ruling on the suspension, Rodgers was described as "in a defensless posture." After Suh backed up and stepped on Rodgers' leg, Suh did so again with his other foot, "applying pressure and unnecessarily pushing off Rodgers’ unprotected leg with his left foot, violating playing rules prohibiting unnecessary roughness.

Suh signed a six-year, $114 million contract with the Dolphins prior to the 2015 season. His acquisition was expected to vastly improve the Dolphins defense, but through Week 2 he has made minimal impact (two tackles and one assist with no sacks). Suh reportedly disregarded play calls from defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Jaguars. By “freelancing” at times, Suh created confusion on the Dolphins defensive line.

Published Sep 21, 2015

CHRIS BURKE

Chris Burke covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is SI.com’s lead NFL draft expert. He joined SI in 2011 and lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.