When Ndamukong Suh stomped on Evan Deitrich-Smith in week 12 of the 2011 season he sealed his reputation as a dirty player. Of course prior to that Suh had already complied a list of fine-able offenses but all came with in the confines of the game. The Deitrich-Smith incident was after the play an isolated on camera….andsimilar to what Ndamukong Suh did to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
The incident on Sunday again was after the play and isolated on camera…easy for NFL officials to use as evidence to suspend the Detroit Lions pro bowl defensive tackle prior to the teams wildcard game in Dallas.
Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola who sat out lats weeks game against the Packers for a similar offense contend’s Suh latest misstep was purely an accident, stating a veteran player like Suh would never do something to jeopardize his teams chances at that point in the game.
"“He was getting pushed back, you know,” Raiola said. “… There’s no way at that point in the game that he did something like that on purpose.”"
Ironically that is the same thing Raiola said about himself the previous week. Must be a Cornhusker Thing.
The Detroit Lions and Ndamukong Suh will appeal the suspension an appeal that will probably fall on deaf ears considering Ndamukong Suh’s list of offenses.
Ndamukong Suh’s suspension couldn’t come at a worse time. It puts the Detroit Lions defensive front at a serious disadvantage against a potent Dallas Cowboys rushing attack. As good as they are the defensive line was already going to have their hands full trying to compete against arguably the best offensive line in football. With Nick Fairly still out of the line-up with a knee injury, what was a major strength of the defensive unit becomes a question mark on the eve of the playoffs.
Nobody know that more than safety James Ihedigbo who has benefited directly from the effectiveness of the defensive front.
"“I don’t know if you can put it into words,” Ihedigbo said. “He’s a dominant force in our defense. He’s kind of the key centerpiece. We have faith in guys that can step up and fill that void and do the best job they can to get this win and help us out. “It’s unfortunate, whatever way you want to slice it. You’re losing one of your best defensive players and one of the best D-linemen in the league, it’s unfortunate.”"