By Kevin Gibson

The main point of having NFL defensive end Ndamukong Suh on The Fred Minnick Show this week was to share bourbon and talk flavor, such as a vintage Four Roses from the 1940s, but the conversation inevitably turned to football, including quarterback Tom Brady.

Fred says at around the 24-minute mark that he has always imagined Cam Newton would be difficult to tackle. Suh agrees.

“He will be missed [as] a quarterback I get to hit,” Suh says of Newton, who previously had played Tampa Bay twice per season as quarterback of the NFC South division-rival Carolina Panthers.

Suh then continues, “There’s plenty of other great ones. Teddy [Bridgewater] is going to be another elusive quarterback there in Carolina. And then, [New Orleans Saints] Drew Brees as well, a guy that’s been doing it for a long, long time. And then [Atlanta Falcons quarterback] Matt Ryan. Going into that fun stadium and that loud crowd – I’ve got a bittersweet feeling about that stadium, having lost a Super Bowl there, so I’ve got a little extra ‘umph’ when I go there for sure.”

Suh, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2010, was with the Rams when they lost the Super Bowl after the 2018 season to the New England Patriots, 13-3.

Minnick then asks, “Who is your favorite quarterback to hit?”

To which Suh responds, “Uhh, well, unfortunately one of them is my teammate now, so I won’t be able to hit him now – maybe I’ll give him a couple love taps in practice.”

Suh doesn’t name the player – the Buccaneers also have Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin and Reid Sinnett in their quarterback room – until Minnick says, “You talking about Tom Brady?”

Suh answers, “Yeah, about Tom, yeah. We actually joked about that when I ended up signing back with Tampa.”

Suh also calls out Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre, against whom Suh played early in his career, adding Green Bay Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers “is always fun to go after – and to have a lot of fun, because he talks back quite a bit. And kind of on that note, Philip Rivers is probably one of the most funnest because of his animation, but obviously he has great craft in being able to run his offense.”

Rivers, who plays for the San Diego Chargers, is of course well known for his on-field “banter,” which no doubt makes him a favorite target of many NFL defensive players.

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