Makes for interesting debate.......... I would put SUH in the top 5 right now. I will wait until after the Big12 championship and Bowl game to cement his spot in my top 5 of all time. How about the rest of you?
Sipple's Article.........................
Making a list and checking it twice.
Before this season began, Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini said Ndamukong Suh already was a special player. In order to ascend to an even higher level, Pelini said, Suh needed to play with tenacity and abandon on every single play.
Check.
Suh not even thinking about his chances to win the HeismanIn order to be considered among Nebraska’s best defenders of all time, Suh needed to follow his 2008 breakout season with a similarly spectacular 2009. After all, the greatest players typically sustain high levels for multiple years.
Check.
“From what I see, he’s as good as there’s ever been at Nebraska,” says Charlie McBride, providing substantial credence to what many of us have come to believe.
McBride, Nebraska’s defensive coordinator/defensive line coach from 1982-99, helped mold Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter, among other All-America defenders. McBride obviously recognizes rare talent when he sees it.
He sees it in Suh.
“Suh’s drawn double teams, he’s drawn triple teams and he’s still made plays,” McBride says. “He’s been consistent. He hasn’t been one of those guys who’s taken a nap. A lot of times, you get guys who don’t play every play. As time’s gone on, he’s matured and learned that every play has to count. He’s special.”
In fact, Suh’s arguably special enough to be considered one of Nebraska’s top three defenders of all time.
In August, I ranked the 40 best Husker defensive players over the last 40 years, with rush end Wistrom (1994-97) topping the list, followed by middle guard Rich Glover (1970-72) and safety Mike Brown (1996-99). If nothing else, it was an interesting mental exercise.
Really, who’s to say who’s the best? It’s an extremely subjective analysis, just one man’s opinion.
That said, after discussing the topic at length with McBride, I have little trouble saying Suh belongs among the all-time top three, probably behind Wistrom and Glover and ahead of Brown. That’s as far as I’d go with Big Suh until someone convinces me otherwise.
Suh and Wistrom are comparable statistically over their junior and senior seasons.
Glover’s amazing tackle totals in 1971 and 1972 top both Suh and Wistrom. But stats are only part of the story.
In addition to Wistrom and Peter, McBride coached standout linemen such as Trev Alberts, Broderick Thomas, Danny Noonan, Neil Smith, Jim Skow and Jared Tomich — each of whom made the top 15 of my top 40 — “and Suh may be the best of all of them,” McBride says. “And I mean, those guys are great players. They had unbelievable motors.”
However, “Those guys, a lot of them, didn’t have the athletic ability that Suh has,” McBride says. “If you tested out Wistrom, he didn’t always do very good. But his motor made up the difference.”
Some might be skeptical of seeing Suh mentioned in such exalted company. Skeptics will say the latest star often gets the nod when discussing the greatest in any category. That’s why I sought out McBride. He coached many of the greatest, and still watches NU closely.
Regarding Suh’s standing among elite Husker defenders, McBride’s awfully convincing.
Sipple's Article.........................
Making a list and checking it twice.
Before this season began, Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini said Ndamukong Suh already was a special player. In order to ascend to an even higher level, Pelini said, Suh needed to play with tenacity and abandon on every single play.
Check.
Suh not even thinking about his chances to win the HeismanIn order to be considered among Nebraska’s best defenders of all time, Suh needed to follow his 2008 breakout season with a similarly spectacular 2009. After all, the greatest players typically sustain high levels for multiple years.
Check.
“From what I see, he’s as good as there’s ever been at Nebraska,” says Charlie McBride, providing substantial credence to what many of us have come to believe.
McBride, Nebraska’s defensive coordinator/defensive line coach from 1982-99, helped mold Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter, among other All-America defenders. McBride obviously recognizes rare talent when he sees it.
He sees it in Suh.
“Suh’s drawn double teams, he’s drawn triple teams and he’s still made plays,” McBride says. “He’s been consistent. He hasn’t been one of those guys who’s taken a nap. A lot of times, you get guys who don’t play every play. As time’s gone on, he’s matured and learned that every play has to count. He’s special.”
In fact, Suh’s arguably special enough to be considered one of Nebraska’s top three defenders of all time.
In August, I ranked the 40 best Husker defensive players over the last 40 years, with rush end Wistrom (1994-97) topping the list, followed by middle guard Rich Glover (1970-72) and safety Mike Brown (1996-99). If nothing else, it was an interesting mental exercise.
Really, who’s to say who’s the best? It’s an extremely subjective analysis, just one man’s opinion.
That said, after discussing the topic at length with McBride, I have little trouble saying Suh belongs among the all-time top three, probably behind Wistrom and Glover and ahead of Brown. That’s as far as I’d go with Big Suh until someone convinces me otherwise.
Suh and Wistrom are comparable statistically over their junior and senior seasons.
Glover’s amazing tackle totals in 1971 and 1972 top both Suh and Wistrom. But stats are only part of the story.
In addition to Wistrom and Peter, McBride coached standout linemen such as Trev Alberts, Broderick Thomas, Danny Noonan, Neil Smith, Jim Skow and Jared Tomich — each of whom made the top 15 of my top 40 — “and Suh may be the best of all of them,” McBride says. “And I mean, those guys are great players. They had unbelievable motors.”
However, “Those guys, a lot of them, didn’t have the athletic ability that Suh has,” McBride says. “If you tested out Wistrom, he didn’t always do very good. But his motor made up the difference.”
Some might be skeptical of seeing Suh mentioned in such exalted company. Skeptics will say the latest star often gets the nod when discussing the greatest in any category. That’s why I sought out McBride. He coached many of the greatest, and still watches NU closely.
Regarding Suh’s standing among elite Husker defenders, McBride’s awfully convincing.
