Ever since the Dolphins broke the bank for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the football-following world has been looking for signs that Miami made a mistake.
There will be no such evidence found in this article.
Via David J. Neal of the Miami Herald, Suh took an active role following offseason workouts in mentoring rookie second-round defensive lineman Jordan Phillips.
“One thing he did is he encouraged Jordan Phillips to come out and train with him,” coach Joe Philbin said. “That’s an example of leadership — of taking a young player, showing him obviously from a physical standpoint and a professionalism standpoint, a preparation standpoint, some of the things that he’s done to get himself ready.”
So how did it happen?
“Came up to me one day and asked if I wanted to train with him and see how he works,” Phillips said. “It felt good because it seemed like he believed in me and wanted me to do well.”
Neal explains that Phillips went to Oregon following the Rookie Symposium and spent two hours per day for 22 days working out with Suh, from running to lifting to yoga to flexibility exercises.
“It’s incredible,” Phillips said. “I’ve never seen anybody work the way he does. That’s something I want to resemble.”
The effort has continued during training camp, with Suh giving Phillips constant feedback. Which has to give the Dolphins and their fans encouragement that Suh isn’t going to take his foot off the gas now that he has a contract paying him $60 million in fully-guaranteed money at signing.
