Not grinding axes

Too many people are misinterpreting Warren Sapp’s comments about Ndamukong Suh as mean-spirited or spiteful. The man has no agenda against Suh. He doesn’t have an ax to grind. He doesn’t have any kind of personal relationship with him, good or bad.

What Sapp said to us on Tuesday — that Suh didn’t do anything to improve his game from his first to second year, that the shoulder surgery set him back and that he relies too much on his power and not enough on technique — was what we used to call constructive criticism. And coming from Sapp, who played the defensive tackle position as well as anyone ever has, it had merit. Suh would be wise to heed his words.

Sapp has criticized Suh a lot this past year. Suh’s feeble excuses and rationalizations for his violent on-field transgressions bothered him. His meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell during the bye week bothered him. But I think what bothers Sapp the most about a guy like Suh is that he feels he’s wasting his god-given talent.

Sapp’s work ethic, especially early in his career, was off the charts. He didn’t have Suh’s size or brute power, but he had quickness and he worked to master the techniques of his position and made himself into a dominant player.

So it offends him when he sees a guy like Suh, blessed with so many physical tools, not taking full advantage of them.

That’s my take on it. I honestly don’t think Sapp has any personal vendetta against Suh or anything like that.