Nebraska: Ndamukong Suh and Some Other Guys?
6 comments so far
May 11, 2009 by
There was another glowing article about Ndamukong Suh in this weekend's Omaha World-Herald. It was a nice read, but nothing we didn't already know about Suh...he's a huge talent, highly regarded by draft "experts", happy to be coming back and getting his degree, primed for a huge year at NU, not really comfortable with the spotlight (yet) and so on and so forth. Believe me, I'm thrilled (thrilled) for NU to be getting Suh back. But, at what point does his high-profile presence start to utterly define this year's Husker team? And, is that a good thing?
A Legend in the Making
Okay, I get it. Ndamukong Suh is a legit war daddy. On the dominance scale, he has the chance to surpass many fierce former Blackshirts. While he has not reached "Bo" status yet, I'm sensing a legend in the making. I can hear the August bar chatter already..."Suh is going to dominate. Suh's arms are bigger than some people's legs. What does the N on the helmet stand for? Ndamukong." Dude, we get it. Suh is great. What about the rest of the roster?
I'm not complaining about the possible return of an All-American to the Big Red. That's a very, very good thing. But, when I survey the Husker landscape, it gets pretty hard to pair Suh with another high-profile stud. And that worries me. Sure there are some candidates but they all have question marks.
Roy Helu is a viable candidate to break out in 2009. But, there is competition from Quentin Castille and Helu has struggled to stay 100% healthy in his career so far. Mike McNeill is a good talent. But, will he go from productive an underrated to becoming a bona fide star? The quarterback situation is a storyline, of course. But, it's not one that will likely yield a mega watt star.
On defense, who jumps off of the page? Let's start with the other seniors. Phillip Dillard is in the doghouse. Barry Turner is still recovering from injury. Larry Asante is "all bus team" (looks the part, but can he play?).
A Defining Presence
I'm not trying to be henny penny about this year's Husker squad. Any number of players could step up and join Suh to lead this team on and off the field. I'm hopeful they will do just that. But, Suh is the clear presence that defines this year's Husker squad. It's a pretty stark contrast from last year's team.
The 2008 team was a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The plucky, hard charging QB who didn't get respect, the underrated receiving tandem, the bevy of backs, the emergence of defenders from seemingly out of nowhere - collectively, they were an intriguing crew. The larger-than-life presence on that team was Coach Bo Pelini, really.
But this year, it’s all Suh. He’s Pelini’s first poster boy. He’ll be the one on the cover of pre-season magazines and answering questions about expectation. On the field, he’ll be the one drawing double teams and making plays.
How well NU does in this new Suh reality depends on how well his teammates rise to the occasion. Will they shine in the light of attention he brings the program? Can they take advantage of the favorable matchups he’s sure to provide them? Will they feed off of his intensity? If they do, then watch out. A defense with a clear leader and a pack of rabid followers is brutal.
On the other side, if others don’t step up to stand beside Suh, it could be bad for NU. A team with just a star or two doesn’t win many games. You can ask Tom Novak about that.
In my opinion, Nebraska can’t afford to be the football version of Jordan and the Jordanaires this year. They need to make a big step now, and win their division. Suh is a sizable, valuable and high profile start to that effort. But, he’s just the start.
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Brandon May 11 09
It seems almost certain (in my mind at least) that Suh will have a worse year statistically this season than he did last season. Go back and read some of the preseason pub from last year and the word you'll see most often preceding Suh's name is "disappointing." It wasn't that he was bad, but in his first two seasons he hadn't quite lived up to his potential.
One season later, the shoe is decisively on the other foot. Preseason All-American, consensus top 10 pick, etc. etc. This is going to be fascinating to watch.
I have no questions about how Suh will respond to this, the real question is how will the rest of the defense respond? Even with the inevitable double teams and dirty play sure to come Suh's way, he'll find ways to make some plays but, more than last year, his role now is going to be opening up playmaking opportunities for others.
Who will be "the others"? I think that's the real question in all the Suh talk. Good job pointing that out...
Bill in Iowa May 11 09
The poster boys on the offensive side of the ball last fall were the big question marks last spring. I remember reading Swift and Peterson will be servicable at WR. Ganz had to prove he could play smart football and not throw 2-3 interceptions a game. And the RB position was about Lucky returning. The OL was suppose to be really good, but it turned out they were pretty average.
On defense, Suh and the rest of the DL were a big question mark. Everyone was worried about the d-line since they didn't play very well in 2007 and most of them were returning. LB position was a serious problem, but it turned out that the addition of Glenn and walkon's was enough to make the position average or a little above average. The secondary was suppose to be pretty solid, but we all know they blew a lot of assignments last year.
Anyway, sometimes its good to think about last years predictions to give a little perspective to this years. The question in my mind, who is going to be this year's surprise. Who is going to be the next Suh?
AustinHusker May 12 09
Great article, I just have a different slant.
Take your comments for example:
The 2008 team was a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The plucky, hard charging QB who didn't get respect, the underrated receiving tandem, the bevy of backs, the emergence of defenders from seemingly out of nowhere - collectively, they were an intriguing crew. The larger-than-life presence on that team was Coach Bo Pelini, really.
I think you could change the 8 to a 9 and it would be almost correct. Maybe the QB is a plucky hard charger but probably more naturally talented. WR absolutely, Def, yes, BO yes, so the difference this year is Suh. And I think it is critical if you want a championship team. It draws new recruits, gives us the All American you have to have if you are going to win NC, and gives us a poster boy.
Go look at all the NC, or even very good, teams we had and everyone one of them had a face. I agree it would be better to have triplets or at least more than one, but we might have triplets on the defensive side before it is all said and done. Who knows.
It is like watching Tiger in golf, does he get more than his fair share of coverage on any given weekend, of course. Is he #1 in the world after a 9mo layoff? Nuf said, I hope Suh destroys them. Or as my 6 year old says, 'who we going to battle today Dad? Lets get it on.'
Dadeo May 12 09
Bill Callahan and Pederson destroyed the NU confidence. Bo has brought it back and he is a big factor in the development of Suh.
Bo has plenty of kid with talent who are coachable, and they will be competetive. Even on our National Championship teams the players who became superstars were not heralded prior to their emergence. The fact is Osborne could coach and so can BO. NU might not be there this year but they will win the north and next year they will challenge for the Big 12 Title.
donfl May 12 09
Dadeo? triple post? we got it the first time! There is only one question that needs to be answered and that is who is going to step up and take Ty Steinkuler's place. If we get the push up front like we need all the other perceived problems will take care of themselves. D'ends will be free to lay their ears back and pressure from the outside, linebackers will be free to fill the holes, and safeties will be able to step up and help the corners. We need that other DT to take advantage of the double team that Suh is sure to get. GBR
darren May 12 09
donfl - Dadeo got caught up in a tech glitch we sometimes get... it wasn't intentional. I deleted the superfluous posts.
In response to your question - I have to think that Jared Crick is the likely candidate to replace Stein (the elder), and backed up by Stein (the younger). Both of those players are bigger than Ty Stein was, but can they play with his motor and technique?