NU defensive lineman Suh works hard to be best he can be
By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Mar 23, 2009 - 12:15:18 am CDT
Ndamukong Suh was reflecting on his favorite moment from last year — Alex Henery’s colossal kick, what else? — when he froze in mid-sentence.
Suddenly a white-haired man and his wife were at his side, obviously wanting to tell him something. The man patted Suh’s bulging arm. “Thanks for coming back,” he said, and that was all he said. The couple walked past, smiling.
Thanks for coming back?
You get that a lot?
“Yeah, it’s nice,” said Suh, ever the laidback dude off the field. “It’s comforting.”
Of course, Suh knows there can be danger in getting too comfortable. If you’re not reaching for more, your game suffers and old men no longer stop to pat you on the arm. And that is an uncomfortable thought.
That’s why a couple months ago, even with all the pleasantries being sent his way, NU’s 300-pound senior nose tackle approached defensive coordinator Carl Pelini with a request: He wanted to learn more about the defense.
Pelini asked him what, specifically, he wanted to learn.
All of it, Suh said. The entire defense.
“And so he’s been coming up two or three days a week whenever he can find an hour or so,” Pelini said. “And we’ve been just talking scheme, like coverages, fronts, how it all works together, how we call our blitzes, why we call certain blitzes, what everyone does on those, how it all fits together.
“And to me, he didn’t do it for any reason than he wants to make himself better and how he fits into the scheme. That’s the level of thinking you wish everybody had.”
Suh is coming off a year he calls “the most fun” he’s had as a football player. You could see why he would consider 2008 fun, with his team-leading 76 tackles, 19 for losses, 71/2 sacks, two blocked kicks, two interceptions returned for touchdowns and one forced fumble. And, oh, yeah, he dabbled as a fullback.
But what made last year such a breakout campaign for No. 93?
Technique, Suh said, but not just that. It was the way the new staff taught it , “and how they made it make sense to me.”
“It was not just them telling me this is the right way to do it,” Suh said. “They actually sat down and said this is the way we’re doing it and this is the reason why. … Either you deal with it or you don’t. So from that aspect, I learned it and comprehended it and kind of made it myself. I made their technique me.”
All that success brought questions of a possible early departure to the NFL. Suh stayed. Fans rejoiced. “I’m so happy with my decision,” Suh says now.
No doubt so are Husker coaches.
It’s a decision that makes Nebraska’s defense much more formidable going into the beginning of spring practice Wednesday.
Suh’s impact on the defense was never so obvious as in the Gator Bowl. His dominance was so great that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made a point to single him out as a future pro in his postgame comments.
To a certain extent, a player with Suh’s talent can influence how defensive coaches call a game.
“Anytime you have a front guy who can control things the way he can, it allows you to cheat coverages, maybe not bring so many guys into the box, defend the box with one less guy,” Pelini said. “You have to be careful of doing that too much and making a habit of that to where they know what you’re doing. But in the end, sure, it’s a great advantage.”
But as good as Suh was in the second half of last season, both he and his position coach see plenty of room for improvement.
“I’d like him to be better with his hands. I’d like him to really understand how to use offensive blocking schemes against themselves,” Pelini said. “We asked him to do a lot of that last year toward the end and he was starting to get it. But with him, I’d like to pick up right where we left off. … I’d like him to expand his pass rush. … Let’s create some moves this spring. … I think if he didn’t think he could (improve), he wouldn’t have come back.”
He’s long been one of the mouthpieces of the team with the media, but Suh said this year he needs to work on having a louder voice among his teammates.
“I’ve always considered myself a leader,” he said. “But the biggest thing for me now is more vocalizing that.”
Last year, the defensive line came into the season ready to prove that it could be the strength of the team. By season’s end, that mission was accomplished.
Now another challenge. Gone is Suh’s partner on the interior, Ty Steinkuhler, and defensive end Zach Potter. Tough losses, Suh admits, but he mentions Jared Crick, Terrence Moore and David Harvey as returning players he’s looking forward to playing alongside.
“In my personal opinion, our M.O. would probably be to show it wasn’t a fluke last year,” Suh said of the defensive line. “We can do it again and we’re going to do it again and do that much better.”
He’s certain of one thing: He made the right decision four years ago when he chose to come to Lincoln. Even the tough times are viewed now as beneficial in what they taught.
“I’m definitely happy with what I’ve gone through here,” he said. “This is not a decision I’ll ever regret.”
