By Scott Davis
(Evan Vucci/AP)
Ndamukong Suh has just three tackles two games into the season.
Though the Miami Dolphins are 1-1 after two weeks, they have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams.Part of that disappointment, after a 23-20 Week 2 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been $114 million free-agent signing Ndamukong Suh.
Suh was largely considered the highest-profile free agent this past offseason, and he signed a record-breaking contract with the Dolphins with the belief that he would help reshape their defense and make them a playoff contender.
In the early going, however, Suh has been lackadaisical on defense, and during the loss to the Jaguars he was ignoring coaches’ play calls, according to The Miami Herald’s Adam H. Beasley:
The same could be said for the Dolphins’ defense, which is somehow worse with Ndamukong Suh than it was without him in 2014.
A big reason why: Suh, who for the second straight week was a non-factor, strayed from Kevin Coyle’s script.
The Miami Herald has learned that Suh freelanced at times Sunday, creating confusion on the defense. By taking matters into his own hands, the Dolphins’ $114 million man took a bad situation and made it worse.
When asked about his play, Suh seemed to suggest there was a need for revised play-calling: “I couldn’t tell you. At the end of the day, we have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we want to run so guys can make plays and go from there.”
Numbers don’t help Suh’s case, either. He has just three tackles on the season, only two of which were solo, and no sacks. During Week 1, Suh played 67 snaps and didn’t register a single pressure or run stop, according to Pro Football Focus.
Of course, not all of this is Suh’s fault, as he has been facing increased attention from opposing offensive lines. While Suh’s personal stats have been disappointing, everyone is to blame when the Dolphins let Blake Bortles throw for over 273 yards with two touchdowns and no sacks or interceptions.
It’s still early, and teams sometimes take time to adjust to a giant new addition like Suh. Less encouraging is whether Suh is already turning on his coaches and running what he wants. It’s a scary sign for the Dolphins if Suh, who has an insane amount of money invested in him, has lost respect for coaches’ play-calling after just two games.
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