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dzrams
Why don't you tell me the other side; why it will work? Why would Wade be pursuing this?
IF you have a high character guy who wants to do grunt work, physical, tough grunt work as a nose tackle then you can plug someone in there. In 1983 the Rams moved Jack Youngblood to 3-4 4-tech (head up on tackle) from his outside 4-3 position. He was 33 years old and too small they said.
Rams were 2nd in NFL in yards per rush in 1983 and 1984 and Youngblood had 20 sacks in those two years before his back went out.
It worked, and people said it wouldn't. Why did it work? because of will, desire and hard work and unselfishness.
Suh, as a nose would have to take a double-team more often than ever, and that is not his forte, but let's say he works on it. He'd he have to hold his spot and try to move his guy back almost every time, with few opportunities to "slip" a blocker because it leaves too big a gap.
In nickel, it would work, and I have said that from the beginning, Rams use 4-man line in nickel, and he and Donald would be able to rush the passer as DTs in a 4-man line, sending Brockers to the bench.
If Rams or Titans were to play Suh as a DE, head-up or outside shade of a tackle, it could work but even less of a chance...Suh is not a long-armed guy, he has average arms and the technique used to play (watch Brockers) requires the DE to strike the tackle with both hands and try to stalemate him and push him back. Tackles are different body types, they have longer arms and they could more easily win the stalemate because of that. They would also be bigger than Suh, and while he has a strength advantage over guards, he would have it with tackles.
So, as a NT? Could it work? If he's got the desire to relearn things and use his skills to play a different technique and make different reads than he has for 8 years, it could. Nose is a stay at home position, by and large. Yes, a little penetration is good, but you don't want a NT getting upfield like Donald because it leaves running lanes.
My original point was Rams would too smart to fall for this and that they wouldn't be interested because they could see these issues. But they are clearly interested. Why Wade would like it? Coaches like toys, maybe he sees Suh as someone who will come in and use great talent at nose and give the Rams a nose tackle like his father had in Curley Culp. Culp was a stong, short-armed guy and became great when he played NT. My view is this is not 1975 and lighting may only strike once in that regard.
