Joe Philbin talks about Ndamukong Suh and the presence he brings

The Miami Dolphins signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the largest contract in NFL history for a defensive player on March 11. Prior to that, negotiations - both in the public eye and privately behind closed doors - were going on as soon as it was known that Suh wasn't receiving the franchise tag in Detroit. There were several question marks as to whether or not Suh would be a good fit in Miami but the Dolphins front office and coaching staff believe he will add a tremendous presence to the team and the defense.

On Tuesday morning in Phoenix at the league meetings, head coach Joe Philbin confirmed this when he told the assembled media that Suh was a player that they had targeted because he was an excellent scheme fit for what the Dolphins do. Philbin agreed that it isn't often where you see a player with his talent and production become available and knew they had to make an attempt to sign him.

When asked about whether or not Suh has matured and grown up from his past on-field encounters, Philbin defended him by saying that these incidents happened a long time ago. He noted that they are focused on his contribution and leadership with the understanding that he's in a different stage in his career.

In Detroit, Suh was known as a quiet leader but he very rarely attended the voluntary off-season workouts with the team. When asked about whether or not he would attend them in Miami, Philbin said that Suh knows how important it is but they will see how it goes. Philbin also added that it was voluntary so there is nothing that he could do to demand that he comes.

Certainly, you want all of your players together for off-season workouts as it's one way to build chemistry. We'll see if Suh attends the workouts with the other members of the team. We can only hope that he chooses to do so so he gets started off on the right foot in Miami.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs