Kyle Riddle’s Rundown: I Always Wanted Suh Anyways
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Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh walks on the field during NFL football training camp Friday, July 27, 2018, in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: CAJH105
Ever since the release of Gerald McCoy, and the signing of Ndamukong Suh, Bucs fans have been at each other’s throats, with McCoy supporters on one side and Suh supporters on the other.
I’m gonna be completely honest with you, I am a staunch McCoy supporter and have been since he was drafted (feel free to check any of my old articles). I regard him as the second best 3 technique this team has ever had other than Warren Sapp. But if I’m being honest, and no disrespect intended, I always wished the Bucs had drafted Suh.
Back in the 2010 draft, the Bucs held the 3rd pick and they were desperately looking for a DT. They were most definitely either going to take Suh out of Nebraska or McCoy out of Oklahoma, and as chance had it Suh was taken one pick earlier by the Detroit Lions, which left the Buccaneers being forced to take McCoy. Both players had the skill and athleticism to be great players, and there’s no doubt they both have done just that.
Since being drafted, McCoy has played in 123 Games with 296 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 54.5 sacks and 22 pass deflections. Suh, on the other hand, did not disappoint either, as he has played in 142 Games while amassing 481 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 56 sacks and 32 pass deflections. Their numbers just about mirror each other, with the exception of tackles, where Suh clearly outperformed the competition.
Suh is the more aggressive player with a known nasty streak. At 6’4 307 lbs, he is much stronger than the 295lbs McCoy. If you look at their combine results there’s one glaring difference, McCoy put up 23 bench reps of 225. While Suh bested McCoy by almost 10 additional reps by putting up 32. With their 40 times almost identical the key difference is in their upper boy strength. Suh is much more suited to play DE in Todd Bowles defense than McCoy who may have been quicker, but isn’t nearly as strong.
Like I said, no disrespect to McCoy and he was a great player here for years and what the team did to him by giving Suh his number was uncalled for, but this is a business. Sometimes business gets ugly, but it’s in the past there’s no going back to change what happened. While I’m sure McCoy will dominate in NC, Suh is a Buccaneer, and he’s definitely here to wreak havoc.
