opinion

Henning: Suh signing stirs few ripples in Dolphins camp

Davie, Fla. — Inside their aqua-and-orange-tinged team headquarters Tuesday, no one who worked for the Dolphins seemed to know about this guy Ndamukong Suh.

"There will be nothing today," said Theresa Manahan, a smiling media relations official who didn't once acknowledge Suh's name as she politely evaded the biggest unannounced sports news in southeast Florida.

The Lions were blindsided last weekend when it was reported Suh, their flagship defensive tackle, had bolted for the Dolphins and $114 million of paydays spanning six years.

This news bomb came with its hassles for the Dolphins. The NFL doesn't appreciate free agents signing ahead of rigidly designated times. Suh and other free agents were obliged to abstain from formal deals until 4 p.m. Tuesday.

But the apparent cover with which the Dolphins and Suh's agent, Jimmy Sexton, were talking was blown to confetti when ESPN's Chris Mortensen (who also is represented by Sexton's firm) revealed details of the merger, complete with specifics on guaranteed money ($60 million).

The NFL has said it will investigate teams that jump the gun on corralling free agents. Aware sanctions can spoil a Welcome to Miami party, the Dolphins were playing the "Suh — who's Suh?" game Tuesday. There was neither a confirmation of his deal nor whispers of any news conference at which time the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history would be introduced.

Number unlisted

This hasn't stopped Miami from contracting a serious bout of inSuhenza.

At a Dolphins apparel shop tucked between the team's outdoor practice field and billowing white indoor practice tent, Rafael De Leon stood watching the souvenir shop's HD television.

It was tuned to ESPN. And at some point De Leon and anyone else who follows the NFL for fun or profit was expecting those official words to crawl across an HD screen's bottom: "Ndamukong Suh signs $114 million deal with Dolphins."

De Leon was sticking to company wishes. Suh hadn't yet been granted Dolphins citizenship. But he conceded the shop's phone had been ringing all day with fans wondering if a cool $150 or so might put them into a sweet "Suh" Dolphins jersey.

"He doesn't even have a number yet," said De Leon, avoiding even the mention of the person of interest in this not-so-mysterious episode of NFL free agency.

The jerseys presumably will be numbered, lettered, and in a matter of days or hours be highlighting Dolphins fans' wardrobe options.

Patriot games

In even grander fashion, Suh will become the designer piece on a NFL defensive front that already has Dolphins followers dreaming of socking it to those despised guys from the Patriots, beginning with quarterback Tom Brady.

The Patriots and Dolphins share a division, which means for too many years Dolphins Nation has watched either Brady or a stream of Patriots rushers bludgeon them. Now, they foresee Suh, with his nuclear-grade energy and destructive powers, making Bill Belichick want to hide inside his hoodie as the Dolphins dismember Belichick's boys and earn sweet, Suh-inspired revenge.

They see him as the perfect character there. If a defensive dynamo with Suh's reputation for overdone mayhem is going to play anywhere in the NFL, then let it be Miami.

"I'm not a fan of him, but I know he's a talented guy," said Leon Edwards, 24, of nearby Ft. Lauderdale, who works for Chartwells Catering, at Nova Southeastern University, adjacent to Dolphins headquarters.

Edwards is a former cornerback and kickoff return specialist at University of Central Florida and knows what the Dolphins need: a guy with the disposition and skill set of a James Bond antagonist.

"It's too soon to tell if he puts this team into the playoffs," Edwards said, breaking into a series of catering-biz metaphors. "But he's going to put more on the plate for this team. Adding him to the table could make this an upper-level team."

Of course, the Dolphins must first acknowledge they've signed Suh. As NFL sleuths perhaps prepared to descend on Davie, no one in headquarters Tuesday had any familiarity with the man.

But a town and a team's fans do. Any minute now, those aqua "Suh" jerseys should be south Florida's latest fashion fad.

lynn.henning@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/Lynn_Henning