The value of Suh? Remember Rex orders his lowly jets to run every play against us - and then they did run all over us? Thats the value of Suh. I'm so happy he's a dolphin!
IMO there are two positions that you're generally safest and most successful using high-end resources to acquire, QB and DT (next safest is probably OTs). By high-end resources I mean big FA dollars or 1st and 2nd round picks. The caveat is that you can't use those resources on dumb and/or lazy/unmotivated players. Well, technically I wouldn't call QB picks "safe", but in this league you need a QB so you have to take the risk regardless. Getting back to Suh, he is neither dumb or lacking motivation. He is the level of talent that is almost unheard of on the FA market. He is already on the very short list of Dolphin players who have been 3-time all-pros (All-pro not probowl). The only comparable FA who had a similar pedigree, was in his prime and had such unquestioned drive was Reggie White. That signing was a key part of the Pack finally being back. In Miami's case, I saw our run defense falling apart as one of the keys that took our defense from a top 5 unit early last season to arguably a bottom 10 maybe bottom 5 unit by season's end. The other key was the injury to Delmas. S is another high impact defensive position, but it's also under-valued so you don't generally have to use high-end resources to acquire them.
Don't see how DT >> DE. Whether you take the average salary of DE's vs. DT's to see how the market values them (DE is second highest paid position after QB.. DT is 3rd), or whether you look at Suh vs. JJ Watt at the very top end, no way DT >> DE.
As I said in the thread I linked to earlier here, the only way that should theoretically be the case is if the DT offers a big improvement in both the run and the pass defense, and there are but a select few DTs (Suh included) who do that.
WADR, average salary is a horrible way to determine importance of a position. Suh got more than Brady. Salary doesn't prove anything as they are fluid and subject to poor judgment by one FO person and can then set precedent. The best way to look at it, is what position impacts winning more or if even go the hypothetical route and if you could have best player in the league at a given position, what order would you fill those spots?
jesus this kids muscular development is off the chain, hope he doesn't get to carried away with strait up muscle building, I'm sure he's smart enough to be doing a diverse routine for his body...
Average salary is one of the best ways of looking at the importance of position. Not every player is on the market every year, so you have lags, but otherwise it shows you how teams value certain players and positions. And over the years the lags should average out. Remember, we're talking about average salary, so looking at individual cases isn't a good rebuttal. And to your second point, the only guy arguably better on defense than Suh is Watt, which is DE.
