SI

50. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Dolphins

Suh is great no matter where he plays on the line, but he is best utilized as a three-tech power tackle.
Doug Farrar|
50. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Dolphins
50. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Dolphins

Suh’s first season with the Dolphins after his big free agency pay day had checkered results, as Miami coaches had him two-gapping and opening up holes for other defenders. It was a questionable strategy, reminiscent of the schematic disaster the Redskins created when they gave Albert Haynesworth the gross national product of France and similarly moved him away from his preferred playing style. But unlike Haynesworth, Suh adapted, and unlike Washington’s coaches back in the day, the Dolphins’ staff finally figured it out. Suh is great no matter where he plays, but he is of course best utilized as a three-tech power tackle who can cave in half of the offensive line when he’s on. Under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Suh will return to the wide-nine defense he played with the Lions, which suits his talents. Suh rebounded after a slow start in 2015, but when used correctly, he remains as good as he’s ever been.

Published
Doug Farrar
DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009,  Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine.  He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.

Home/NFL