Not just a number

Spence out to deflect comparisons to Suh

DAVIE — There’s a level of irony to the fact that the only veteran defensive tackle the Miami Dolphins added after cutting Ndamukong Suh this offseason has been forced to wear the same number as the team’s discarded Pro Bowl defensive lineman.

Akeem Spence openly admitted he’d prefer not to wear Suh’s old No. 93, but that was the only number available when he joined the Dolphins the week after the trade that was done to fortify one of the team’s thinnest units.

“I feel funny about it. I’ve been 97 my whole career,” said Spence, who joins his third team in his sixth season in the NFL.

Spence knows the comparisons to Suh, who signed a one-year deal worth $14.5 million with the Los Angeles Rams after the Dolphins released him, will come because everywhere he turns people keep bringing up Suh to him and his fellow defensive tackles.

So the former University of Illinois standout attempted to tackle the comparison head on, as if it were a tailback coming through the A-gap for which he was responsible.

“We’re two different guys. I’m not a big, flashy guy,” said Spence, who contributed 39 tackles, three sacks and forced one fumble in the 16 games (11 starts) he played with Detroit last season. “I’m a do-my-job type of guy. Control my gap and make plays when I can.”

However, Spence is aware he’ll have to step up and become the leader of the defen-