Ndamukong Suh recently said the Miami Dolphins defense has more talent than the 2014 Detroit Lions, a unit Suh helped make the No. 1-ranked rush defense in the NFL, and coach Kevin Coyle is a fan of the defensive tackle’s confidence.
Coyle, the Miami defensive coordinator, appreciates the high expectations Suh has for the current squad. Per ESPN’s James Walker, Coyle said of Suh’s comments:
“What I think it says is everybody on our defense, everybody on our team, has high expectations. We all want that. I think, from a coaching perspective, the talent that we have couple with the way we’ve been working since the spring gives us the confidence going into the season that we have the opportunity to be a very good defense.”
The Dolphins certainly have performed well in limited action. Through two games, Suh and Co. have yet to surrender any points, forcing three-and-outs on each possession the first-string defense was on the field.
According to Walker, Coyle cited the strong start as evidence for what might happen during the regular season, though he conceded that two preseason games aren’t perfect indicators of future success.
“We’ve shown small snippets, you might say, of what we could be like in the preseason. We haven’t really had enough body of work to say one way or the other. But we’ve been solid with the first group.”
Miami’s next test comes on Saturday, Aug. 29, against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons, an offense that poses the greatest challenge for the Dolphins before the regular season.
If Suh and his new teammates again emerge unscathed, expect even more confidence from the South Florida defense.