93 days until Miami Dolphins kickoff and we’re talking defensive linemen

Do you remember that time that Rob Ninkovich played for the Miami Dolphins, didn’t perform much, and then made his way to New England where he turned into a solid contributor for Super Bowl winning teams? That’s an uncomfortable memory, as are many in the last 20 years (cough, cough, Wes Welker).

In making my pick for the “Best to Wear Number 93 Award,” that name stuck out as a big swing and a miss for this team. In fact, there were a few swings and misses for number 93.

After going through the timeline of number 93 wearers, I finally settled on Ndamukong Suh to be this year’s representative.

I know that this selection might not be the best for some Dolphins fans. The team spent a lot of money on Suh and it didn’t generate any playoff appearances. It’s not totally fair to blame him for this, but a lot of people don’t remember Suh’s time in Miami fondly.

Suh earned a Pro-Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2016 so he definitely had individual success during his time in Miami.

Unfortunately, Suh’s time in Miami was short-lived and overshadowed by the idea that he would never live up to the contract that he signed as a free agent in 2015. Unfortunately, Miami didn’t experience any major success as a franchise, but Suh did play well and formed a dynamic duo with Cameron Wake which made Miami’s defensive line a sneaky good one.

Yet, that individual success and the accolades never brought us to the playoffs and Suh wasn’t able to single-handedly bring us to the promised land of a Super Bowl appearance. That shouldn’t have been expected of him, however, and it’s important that we appreciate the individual player for his contributions and not compare him to what the team couldn’t accomplish while he was on the roster.

Thanks for the fun, Suh-Nami.