State Your Case: Is Ndamukong Suh Destined for Pro Football Hall?

By John Turney 

"Retired Ndamukong Suh was a dirty player. He's also a Hall of Famer." 

That was the headline last weekend to a USA Today story written by NFL columnist Mike Freeman after the former defensive lineman announced his retirement ... and, while it's a provocative opinion, it's one shared by others.

In fact, shortly after Suh's announcement Saturday that he's "stepping away with peace and gratitude" from the NFL,  some media and social media accounts echoed the same thing. But Freeman went beyond simply promoting him for Canton; he dug deeper, noting that a guy who did the dirty work along with the dirty play should be rewarded.

Suh's next journey, he concluded, "should include a trip to Canton."

Ok, so that's his opinion. But is he right? Is the second overall pick in the 2010 draft -- someone who was an All-Pro as a rookie and the Defensive Rookie of the Year -- destined for a Gold Jacket?

Let's see.

When you look at Suh, it started with his stance. It was perfect. Balanced, back flat. It never varied. And that was similar to his play. Textbook, the kind of technique and skill-set coaches loved -- little dancing, take on the blocker. His strength became obvious, and the opponents who said that Suh was dirty also acknowledged that he was a load.

But he was an atypical pass rusher, nothing like Aaron Donald or some others who played the three-technique -- the rushing defensive-tackle position. Suh was mostly the left defensive tackle -- so, depending on the line call, he would play both a "shade" technique (on a center) as well as the three-technique (outside shoulder of the guard).

And that matters. 

Suh's position required him to be a complete player, not someone who could line up on the outside shoulder of a guard, penetrate for a sack or tackle for a loss. He was someone who had to do more -- hold the point, escape blocks and create pressure from the interior. In some sense, he was a throwback to Hall-of-Famers like Mean Joe Greene or Merlin Olsen -- sack creators, pushing the pocket so the edges could swoop in and take a quarterback down.

There is room in the Hall for such players, no?

Plus, there's the fact that he was durable. He never missed a game because of injury. Granted, he missed a couple because of a suspension (there is that "dirty-play" issue again) and in his final season, he played just eight games. But he was signed late by the Eagles, so the games he missed happened when he wasn't on the roster. Suh simply answered the bell for 199 games. 

In his 13-year career, the 6-4, 315-pound former Nebraska All-American made 603 tackles (73 of them were run-or-pass stuffs) and 71-1/2 sacks. That's a total of 144-1/2 plays behind the line of scrimmage. That's not all. He was also credited with 647 total pressures, per the analytics site Pro Football Focus (PFF). In the PFF era (2006 to present), that has Suh ranked seventh among defensive interiors.

But those are the positive stats, and there are plenty more of them. On the flip side, however, during his career (including playoffs) he was flagged 115 times, with 102 accepted, including 17 in 2015 (two declined). If you're asking if that's a lot, the answer is yes. No other defensive lineman is close. 

But it's not as if they were all flagrant. About one-third of those penalties were major, while 61 were offside or neutral zone infractions -- mistakes he committed while giving maximum effort or getting a jump on the ball. That said, his errors did cost his team. He had 33 penalties that resulted in opponents' first downs. 

Again, you ask: Is that a lot? Again, yes, it is. Since 1999, when the NFL stats site NFLGSIS began tracking penalties, no defensive lineman had more penalties that resulted in first downs. However, it was close. Hall-of-Fame defensive end Jason Taylor "gave up" 31 first downs. But if you add the three he committed in the two years before the NFL made the stat official -- in other words, Taylor's first two years in the NFL -- he'd have one more than Suh.

Not only that, but the Patriots' Richard Seymour, another Hall of Famer, committed penalties that awarded opponents 29 first downs. So, while Suh has the most officially, it's not as if he's in a universe all his own. There were at least a couple of decorated defensive linemen who did similar things.

Then again, Suh was what he was. Let's not sugarcoat it. Taylor and Seymour didn't rack up the 15-yarders that Suh did.  But let's also remember that, despite his transgressions, his peers still voted him to the Pro Bowl five times, and the NFL media voted him consensus All-Pro three times. 

Quick question: What Hall-of-Fame defensive tackles were consensus All-Pro three times in their careers? Oh, just Joe Greene. Art Donovan and Dan Hampton. And who was consensus All-Pro fewer than three times? Guys like Ernie Stautner, Cortez Kennedy, Steve McMichael, Joe Klecko, Bryant Young and Curley Culp -- all of whom are in Canton.

After that, add the rest of his end-of-season accolades -- first-team All-NFL in 2011 (The Sporting News) and two additional second-team All-Pro seasons from AP and one All-AFC (PFWA), and you have someone who was "in the money" the first seven seasons of his career. Correction: Eight, if you throw in PFF, which chose its own independent All-Pro teams.

How does that compare? Eight of the 21 Hall-of-Fame defensive interiors have more and 13 fewer. It puts Suh right there in the middle of the "alls" collected among the best-ever defensive tackles. One thing is for sure: If All-Pro teams are your primary factor in determining Hall-worthiness, Suh has the goods.

Now let's talk sacks.

Recently published sack data is interesting because some of the greats we're talking about didn't have a lot of sacks, producing about as many as Suh's career total. They are Joe Greene, Joe Klecko, Buck Buchanan, Curley Culp and Cortez Kennedy. Then there are others in the 80-or-90-sack range. 

The point? A review of the data shows that sacks aren't all that important to tackles, with Hall-of-Famers like Alan Page and John Randle the exceptions, not the rule. And there's a reason. 

"You have got to have someone crack the pocket,"  said Merlin Olsen.

That's what Suh did, no matter where he played.

"His numbers are not always there," former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said, "but his presence is never missed."

Former Dolphins' edge rusher Andre Branch agreed.

"You can't look at stats when it comes to Suh," he said,"because he does all the dirty work ... he eats up the blocks."

But there's more -- his style, for instance. It was pure power pushing through opponents, not going around them. Just listen to what his peers said in episodes of the "NFL 100", the annual show that presents a list of top players in the league:

-- "Ndamukong Suh is going to make your life suck for 60 minutes," said Packers' Pro Bowl defensive lineman Mike Daniels, "and that is why I love watching him play --  he runs right through guys."

-- "Any type of solo block, he's going right through your chest," said Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford

-- "Suh is the dominant defensive tackle in the last decade in the NFL," said All-Pro center Jason Kelce. "You feel a certain jolt every time I have played him -- the way he gets off the ball -- few guys have a better pop than Suh."

Still not convinced? Then consult what used to be called the "Bible of NFL Football." I'm talking about Pro Football Weekly, which wrote that "blocking (Suh) with one man is a non-starter and, in addition to absorbing a double-team on almost every play, it's not unusual to see a back joining a double-team and try and keep Suh from collapsing a pocket ... Natural strength and power and non-stop motor. It's almost impossible to find a play on tape where Suh isn't playing to and through the whistle."

In 15 playoff games Suh had seven sacks -- not unlike what a typical season would be for him. But there were times when he made a huge impact. Case in point: While playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, he didn't have one of his best regular seasons while mostly playing out of position. But he made a difference when it mattered. 

His play down the stretch ... and in the postseason ... was vintage Suh, whipping offensive linemen and hitting quarterbacks. Plain and simple: He was dominant. The Rams reached Super Bowl LIII, where their defense held Tom Brady and the Patriots to 13 points. But they lost, mostly because Sean McVay's offense could only muster three points. 

The next time he was in the playoffs was 2020 when he checked the last remaining box to his career. He and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates held Patrick Mahomes to nine points in a 31-9 demolition of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Suh was credited with 1-1/2 of the three sacks of Mahomes. 

There will be other talking points if and when Suh makes the Hall's finalist list, including his name on the 2010s' all-decade team. That will help. So will this: When he was an unrestricted free agent in 2015, Miami liked him enough to award him a $114-million contract -- making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. He became the fifth non-quarterback to receive a contract of at least $100 million, while his $60 million of guaranteed money was a non-quarterback record.

Now back to the question: Are those and the rest of the points I've mentioned enough to be immortalized in Canton? Maybe, but Suh won't be first ballot; he didn't have that kind of career. Plus, the voting process is going to make it tough if it remains the same, while the list of finalists the next five-to-10 years will be stellar. Because he last played in 2022, Suh will be eligible for the Hall's Class of 2028 along with a couple of guys you may know.

Tom Brady and J.J. Watt. 

The year after that, Aaron Donald will be eligible. And in. So will Jason Kelce. In 2030, Zach Martin will suck a lot of oxygen out of the room. As I said ... stellar. Ultimately, though, I think he makes it because he played to the level of Hall of Famers at his position. The resume says so.

But will the bullying, stepping on ankles and cheap shots cost him? You bet. And those are not some off-the-field issues, like those that cause so much controversy for other candidates. It was on the field, and we all saw it. However, Suh did enough great things to mitigate the negative aspects. 

In the final analysis, he will be seen as a dominant defensive tackle who was respected and even feared by those who blocked him ... and worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.