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**thickandthin** · -04-05-2010, 06:07 AM

Re: Anyone capable of selling Suh...

I like both prospects as well, I think we can't go wrong with either, but I can give you some pros:

Suh has great strength which helps him be able to stand up linemen on 1v1's which will recquire double teams, he is smart and athletic. He has great hands and uses them extremely well. He has very good swim/rip moves, a great technique when making the tackle. He plays extremely well against the run and pass.

***sosa39rams*** · -04-05-2010, 07:36 AM

Re: Anyone capable of selling Suh...

Where did you ever see Suh use swim/rip moves? I have never seen this.

Only thing I see Suh do is drive you back and embaress you. Either way, both are great prospects, and we need a playmaker in both of those positions.

Either one we pick will be fine with me.

***BIG-BLUE*** · -04-05-2010, 08:22 AM

Re: Anyone capable of selling Suh...

Picking Suh with the #1 pick will automatically make everyone in the front 7 better.
Every opponent will have to account for Suh & double team him & run the play away from him, this alone will have the rest of our defense in place for a big year.
Then if by some stupid reason the man is not double teamed & or they run the play anywhere near him, the ball carrier will pay a heavy price. Have you seen Suh tackle an opponent, he hits them with pure authority, it's like he's trying to cut them in half, break them apart. Talk about laying the wood, the man is simply a beast in uniform & I for 1 would love to see him in the blue & gold.

**Nick** · -04-05-2010, 08:23 AM

Re: Anyone capable of selling Suh...

I'm not sure that anyone (let alone all the Pro Suh people) has been smearing Bradford. When I think of the word smear, I think of someone criticizing him maliciously or trying to ruin or vilify him. There's a difference between legit criticism and smearing the guy, and I think we've seen the former rather than the latter.

I think if you go back to December and January and even parts of February, where it looked like Suh was a lock to be the top selection, you'd find plenty of threads discussing why he'd be a great choice. If the discussion has turned to the pros and cons of Bradford, it's because at this point in time he looks very much like he'll be the choice. That's the nature of the beast.

But for specific reasons in favor of Suh, I'll try and formulate a list of things that I think will translate well to the next level and that may not be mentioned as much in a discussion about him...

-I think he's a better pass rusher than some think. He played in a more read-and-react defense at Nebraska, but still put up unbelievable numbers in terms of sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. His combine performance, in my opinion, illustrated that he has the explosion and the short area quickness to be an effective pass rusher if he were asked to attack right off the snap. This was really the only area that some favored McCoy in, and I think the combine muddied the waters on this issue.

-The way he uses his hands as a defender is simply outstanding. Not just in his ability to engage and then shed blocks, but also in how aware he is of throwing lanes. Consider that Ndamukong Suh led all collegiate defensive lineman in 2009 in passes broken up and passes defended. In fact, Suh broke up more passes in 2009 than Eric Berry and as many passes as Joe Haden.

-His instincts are incredible. This in part goes back to his ability to disrupt throwing lanes, but he always seems to be reading and diagnosing the play. Playing in a defense that calls upon you to do that certainly helps, but as evident by Suh’s production, he’s shown he can do this at a high level. He’s strong enough to hold up at the point of attack while he determines where the ball is going, and he can then shed and disengage to make a play on the ball. He has excellent agility and lateral movement for a man his size, allowing him to move down the line and make a play on the ballcarrier.

-He has outstanding strength and is committed to maintaining it, as evident by his bench reps at the combine. At times, he simply shoved offensive linemen aside. Will he be able to do that at the next level? Probably not as often, but there’s no reason to think he won’t be able to do it at all. NFL linemen are stronger, but they’re not all immoveable objects, and Suh’s strength will certainly be a benefit and advantage in both the run and pass games.

-Finally, he is as well thought of as anyone in this class. Talking to people around the league in December, Peter King said that Suh is the most highly regarded defensive prospect – not defensive tackle, but defense as a whole – in the last decade. Mel Kiper says he may be the best tackle he’s seen in his 30+ years of scouting. Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout and operator of Moving the Sticks, says he feels as comfortable with Suh as he has anyone to come out in the last five years. Simply put, he’s regarded as an absolutely elite prospect, and the Rams have a chance to get him. How many prospects of this caliber come along? Not just the best at their position in a particular class, but regarded as the best at their position (if not their entire side of the field) in a number of years? Don’t tell me Glenn Dorsey, because the talk wasn’t nearly at this level for him.

So, having addressed a couple of Suh’s strengths, let’s sell him to the Rams. Frankly, it’s a pretty easy sell. The Rams have one serviceable starter in Clifton Ryan at nose tackle. They have nothing but question marks at the under tackle position. Adam Carriker hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and even when he was, Spagnuolo had him running with the second team. Darell Scott didn’t see any time in a weak DL rotation until the latter half of the year, and didn’t separate himself when he was on the field. Fred Robbins is an aging veteran who can probably contribute for a couple of snaps a game but can’t be counted on to handle a big role and is a short term solution at best. Simply put, it’s a position of need. Playing next to Ryan, Suh would help improve our ability to defend the run; the Rams allowed over 2,200 yards on the ground and a whopping 24 rushing touchdowns last year. Furthermore, having an inside pass rush presence is going to help the play of the Rams’ defensive ends. If you want to try and get the most out of Chris Long, give him someone pushing the pocket in the middle so that opposing quarterbacks can’t just step up and away from the outside rush. Suh’s versatility – he can play the five technique in a 3-4 alignment – means the Rams could use him in different spots for different packages, depending on the situation. As defensive coordinator for the Giants, Spagnuolo made a Pro Bowler out of Justin Tuck because of his versatility, so it’s exciting to think about the kinds of things the Rams could do on their line with a player of Suh’s caliber.

So there you go. An attempt for selling Suh using a few of the less obvious reasons without downplaying Bradford in the process.

***Ramblin` Ram*** · -04-05-2010, 11:55 AM

Re: Anyone capable of selling Suh...

thanks for the input folks..positive rep on its way.

nick,
maybe smear campaign was a slightly wrong phrase to use but you seem to have got the jist of what i was trying to say anyway...
thanks for the in-depth analysis.

**TakeSuh** · -04-05-2010, 05:21 PM