Rams' Suh eager to make impact

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh knows he has a lot to prove after three largely disappointing seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Once considered the game's dominant player at his position, Suh now joins a team on the rise after signing a one-year contract with Los Angeles at the end of last month.

"For me, how I look at it is I wanted to prove myself," Suh said at his media press briefing on Friday. "And I think they want me to come in here and prove myself that I'm worthy of being here and staying here for the long stay. I think the overall goal is to focus on this particular year, which is the most important thing in front of us. And like you said, they had a very successful year last year in the regular season and I believe I can be of help to get them over some of the humps."

That Suh had to settle for a one-year contract -- one that reportedly was worth $14 million -- speaks to how his stock dropped during his tenure with the Dolphins. He was released by Miami last month halfway through a six-year, $114 million contract he signed in 2015.

Suh, 31, was an All-Pro selection in three of his first five seasons with the Detroit Lions, racking up 36 of his career 51.5 sacks while establishing himself as the best league's best interior lineman.

Although he started all 16 games in each of his three seasons with the Dolphins, Suh's impact diminished greatly while new teammate Aaron Donald was establishing himself as the NFL's best defensive tackle.

Los Angeles, which won the NFC West title last season, has made a series of major offseason acquisitions, including deals to bring in wide receiver Brandin Cooks along with cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.

The pairing of Donald, the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year, and Suh has many observers envisioning a dominant front line -- provided Suh plays up to his previous level. The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Suh has no doubt that will be the case.

"First and foremost it's going to start in OTAs and practices -- understanding how (Donald) likes to rush, how I like to rush, how we play the run together," Suh said. "And that's when it'll all unfold from there, to see how we'll mesh together. And I think it'll be an exciting time and process to get through that."