Ndamukong Suh to take out frustrations on Cowboys

By Austin Belisle | Jan 2, 2015

Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Ndamukong Suh has reportedly told his Detroit Lions teammates he’s tired of being called a dirty player, and will take his frustrations out on the Dallas Cowboys.

There’s a huge difference between a dirty player and an aggressive player — an aggressive player will sack the quarterback until the whistle’s blown. A dirty player may sack the quarterback and use the fallen signal-caller as a prop to stand up. There’s aggressive, there’s dirty, and then there’s Ndamukong Suh. Suh won’t just sack a quarterback, he’ll throw his forearm into the player’s helmet or stomp on his injured leg.

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That’s exactly what Suh did against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, purposely stepping back and putting all his weight on Aaron Rodgers’ injured calf. After being fined $70,000 by the league’s front office, Suh told teammates that he is tired of being portrayed as a dirty player and wants to take out these frustrations on the Cowboys’ offensive line, per Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.

It’s laughable that Suh honestly believes he’s being unfairly portrayed as a dirty player — almost like watching Pinocchio’s nose grow longer and longer as he lies.

If there were ever an opportunity to prove he’s not, it would be Sunday’s Wild Card matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. The game is chock-full of storylines, none more intriguing than the battle in the trenches. The Lions, who rank first in the league against the run, will try to stop the Cowboys’ second-ranked rushing attack and DeMarco Murray, the regular season’s leading rusher.

Suh will have something to say about that, and anchors a ferocious slew of lineman anxious to get after Tony Romo and company. If he can channel his anger into clean, between-the-whistles play, it’ll be a marvel to see the 305-pound wrecking ball clash with the likes of Cowboys center Travis Frederick and guard Zack Martin.

But it’s hard to trust a player like Suh, who’s racked up over $450,000 in fines since he entered the league in 2010 per the Detroit Free Press. To add insult to injury, these aren’t your run-of-the mill fines — they include incidents of “stomping the arm,” putting a “helmet to the chest,” and “kicking the groin” of an opponent.

The media and fans have watched Suh commit these football crimes. They aren’t fabricated, exaggerated, or imagined. Suh may be a charismatic man in the locker room, a leader on the field, but there’s no denying he’s the league’s dirtiest player.

Sunday will be his opportunity to prove them wrong once and for all.

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