Former NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was a dominant force in his playing days. His impressive collection of accolades, including five All-Pro nods, speaks for themselves. But what really fueled his success was his commitment to his craft. Suh’s dedication to the sport and hard work to constantly improve his game are things that stuck with Tom Brady.
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Before Brady and Suh linked up in the NFC South, they faced each other numerous times as AFC East rivals. Suh, a member of the Miami Dolphins, sacked Brady – then a New England Patriot – seven times in their matchups. Every time they looked across the line of scrimmage, they saw shades of themselves in one another.
The duo surely has many memories from their brief time as teammates. But Brady’s most iconic moment involving Suh came during the heat of their battles as division foes. Specifically, something Suh quipped to the longtime quarterback midgame resonated with him deeply.
“I slapped him on the butt, and said ‘dude, stay out of the f*****g backfield today.’ And he looked at me, and he goes ‘I ain’t your f*****g friend.’ I respect that.”
In a recently released documentary, “NFL’s Most Feared Player: The Untold Story Of Ndamukong Suh,” the former Bucs DT was shown the clip of Brady talking about the incident. He was very proud to hear Brady appreciate both his mentality and how he separated what transpired on the gridiron from everything else in life.
“I think it’s one of the greatest compliments to ever get as a defensive lineman… I didn’t care if we were best of friends off the football field. But when we stepped in between those white lines, if you were on the offensive side of the ball, you’re my enemy. It’s plain and simple.”
Brady and Suh played their third-to-last and penultimate seasons in the NFL together, where they got an even better understanding of how they each operated on game days. In the first of those two years, they accomplished franchise history together.
Brady & Suh won a Super Bowl for the Buccaneers.
As we mentioned earlier, Suh was part of Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl-winning team. He notched 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and started all 20 games (including postseason) in the Bucs’ title run. Brady did the same on the offensive side, throwing for a combined 5,694 yards and 50 touchdowns on the way to his league-record seventh Lombardi Trophy.
In the process, Brady and Suh helped Tampa Bay become the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in their home stadium. The Los Angeles Rams then accomplished the same feat by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. Not only this, it was after 18 long years that the Bucs were taking home their second Lombardi Trophy.
Brady’s and Suh’s competitive spirits played a large part in their immense success as professionals. They got on teammates’ nerves at times, but they drove others to be better every day. And at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for from your leaders.
