THE LIONS SLEEP TONIGHT

Packers Claim 4^th Straight North Crown,

Suh Plays the Fool Again

It didn’t have quite the dramatic flair that last year’s season ender did against Chicago when Aaron Rodgers launched a 48 yard miracle on 4^th down to seal another NFC North crown. When the smoke cleared it was fairly obvious to anyone who watched that the better team won another title on Sunday as the Packers stomped the Detroit Lions 30-20. The Lions resorted to what they do best and reverted back to an old, ugly form by doing some stomping of their own in the process. The consensus dirtiest player in the NFL in Ndamukong Suh lived down to his classless, clueless, under the rock slitheringly ugly self by stomping yet again on another downed Packer. Only this time it was the stomp heard ‘round the world when he went for the Packers heart and soul Aaron Rodgers and his already injured left calf.

The Packers earned their 4^th straight tile as well as the #2 seed and a week off in the NFC in dominating, convincing style. This Packers group is peaking at the right time and both sides of the ball are coming into their own. Not limiting themselves anymore to a one-trick pony status of all offense and not too much on defense this may have been the most complete game the Pack played all year in all 3 phases of the game.

Although Mason Crosby had another long field goal attempt blocked the Packers won the special teams battle. Micah Hyde opened the scoring of what had the feel, sound and fury of a playoff contest. Hyde took his first punt of the game and took off for the end zone. Blasting through a host of Lions Hyde’s 55 yard TD romp had Lambeau Field going gaga. The much maligned and oft criticized defense took center stage in clamping the Lions down to a mild purr. The defense was resilient, stingy and gave up yards grudgingly.

As the season grinds on Eddie Lacy is becoming known as a late season cold weather runner who typically gets off to a slow start. Watching Lacy push a pile of defenders backwards was no just impressive. Lacy was doing it against the team ranked #1 against the run. The Lions had no answer for Lacy and did not alter their game plan form week #3 that saw them drop 6 and 7 into coverage and the let big dogs up front eat. Unlike the first game Lacy routinely and viciously pounded away at the heart and strength of the Lions by rushing for 100 yards on 26 carries.

Aaron Rodgers was Aaron Rodgers and may have sealed the voting for the MVP Award with his Willis Reed-esque re-entrance into the game when it appeared he was done for the day – and probably the playoffs – as he was carted off after tossing a flip pass of 4 yards to Randall Cobb that gave the Pack as 14 - 0 lead. But Rodgers fell to the ground immediately clutching the calf that he injured last week. Rodgers sudden exit meant Matt Flynn came in and the Packer faithful began a serious game of scoreboard and clock watching hoping the Packers had put up enough to points to pull through. The offensive line was stout in keeping Rodgers safe and Flynn was the only one nailed for a sack by the Lions ferocious D.

No one expected Rodgers to return. Not Mike McCarthy, not Flynn, not the Lions and maybe even Rodgers himself. Momentum is a funny thing. Rodgers exit gave Detroit renewed hope as they put 7 on the board just before the half when Matthew Stafford drove the Lions and hit who else but Megatron – Calvin Johnson – from the 20. The Lions picked up that momentum when Crosby’s 52 yard attempt was blocked by Isa Abdul-Quddus. Flynn opened the 2^nd half for Green Bay but few were holding much confidence. Flynn’s sack ended a short possession and Stafford hit Johnson again from the 4 to knot the game as Detroit had suddenly closed the gap and grabbed the momentum away from a Packers team that had a hammerlock on the game earlier.

Rodgers has developed a flair for the dramatic. Much like Willis Reed’s return form an injury in the NBA Finals Rodgers’ Roy Hobbs entry back onto the field was greeted with a resounding chant of “M-V-P!!” by the 78,000+ in attendance. And just as quick as you can say ‘Suh is suspended again for stupidity’ Rodgers pushed the Pack 60 yards on 7 plays and found Cobb in the end zone to retake the lead. Crosby’s blocked kick could have and should have swung the pendulum back to the Lions side.

It did not last for long.

On the very first play after the block Stafford was rocked and fumbled the ball at the Detroit 42 that was recovered by the opportunistic Morgan Burnett. Another drive ended with Rodgers, ailing leg and all did an impromptu imitation of Bart Starr’s Ice Bowl sneak to give the Packers a 2 possession lead once more. Clay Matthews’s constant harassment of Stafford paid huge dividends when Stafford threw the ball away and was flagged for intentional grounding from the end zone that gave the Packers a safety and a ballooning lead.

 

Just when you thought the Lions had grown up and matured into a team to be reckoned with Suh took the express train to Idiotville in the 4^th quarter. With Rodgers lying prone on the ground Suh stepped backwards and sort of, kind of somehow managed to land on Rodgers ankle. Accidently he claims. His cloddish next move is one that defies comprehension and will cost the Lions dearly in their upcoming playoff game against the red hot Dallas Cowboys.

His balance now precariously thrown off by Rodgers ankle Suh went for Rodgers injured left calf with yet another stomp, a move that earned him another suspension in a suspension filled career. As Rodgers tried to shove Suh away no flag was thrown but those in the league office took a very dim view of Suh’s latest stunt. In an unusually swift fashion the NFL whacked Suh on Monday with a 1 game suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s player-safety conduct. Merton Hanks, the former 49er who now serves as the NFL's vice president of football operations responded with a one game ban that will be imposed next week in the Lions playoff game with Dallas. Hanks ruled that Suh engaged in a non-football act which placed his opponent at unnecessary risk of injury.

In his letter to Suh Hanks wrote "You (Suh) did not respond in the manner of someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another player who was lying on the ground. This illegal contact, specifically the second step and push off with your left foot, clearly could have been avoided." Hanks letter went on to state "you (Suh) unnecessarily stepped on your opponent's unprotected leg as he lay on the ground unable to protect himself."

Suh’s newest stomp drew a firestorm of reaction from all quarters. Afterwards Mike McCarthy said "I didn't see it live, I didn't see it on the Jumbotron, but from what I'm told, I'm told it was ridiculous.  "There's no place for that. That's where I'm at with it. I don't understand it, frankly." After the suspension was announced McCarthy said "I was hoping this wouldn't go this way (suspension). That was a hell of a football game played yesterday, and that's what I really came here to talk about. I'm not here to talk about behavior (of) players on other teams."

Packers outspoken guard T.J. Lang took it a bit further after the game by saying "I just went by what Aaron said," guard Lang said. "I didn't see it, but Aaron was pissed off after the play. He got stepped on on his bad calf. I didn't see it, but obviously he says it, you have to believe him. I don't really know what to say."

It wasn’t very long after the incident that Lang put his foot down. Lang and Suh were involved in a heated exchange of words and finger pointing after Suh’s inexcusably stupid stunt. "I didn't see it, but there's some history there," Lang said. "So obviously until I see the play, I can have a better judgment call of that, but Aaron said he stepped on him and didn't really appreciate it, so...” Lang continued by saying "He (Suh) likes to play through the whistle. I was continuing to block him (Suh) and finish the play and a couple of little shoves in there from both of us," Lang said. "He had some words for me and I had some words for him. That was it.

"I'm not going to say what he said to me."

For their part the Lions raced to Suh’s defense. Dominic Raiola, the Lions center who was suspended himself for the matchup against the Packers for stomping on the Bears Ego Ferguson last week was furious about Suh’s ban. "The play ... he wasn't even looking at (Rodgers)." Raiola said. "He was getting pushed back a little bit. It was ridiculous what Fox (Television) did right after it. It was crazy, watching it. I couldn't even listen to those guys after he did it. There is no way, at that point in the game, that he did something like that on purpose. No way."

Added teammate Larry Warford: "It's part of what has been happening around here. Obviously, they're going to be stricter on us. That is just a fact of what happened a week before. They're obviously a lot stricter with our team," Warford continued, referring to the NFL. "It's something we have to fight through. A little adversity. We'll make it through."

The Lions gassed the hyper emotional Jim Schwartz last year and replaced him with steady Jim Caldwell who had appeared to have righted the Lions ship and had his troops finally corralled and ready to step up with the big boys. Caldwell said he did not think Suh went after Rodgers' injured left calf.

"I didn't see it and I don't think it was intentional, either," Caldwell said unconvincingly. This is the same Jim Caldwell who also said of Raiolo’s stomp last week that he believed Raiolo’s stomp was unintentional. While his loyalty is admirable it has to cause him to wonder what the hell it’s going to take to rein in a bunch of thugs.

To merely classify Suh as a thug is an insult to every thug out there. Let’s call it what it really is – Ndamukong Suh is a filthy, dirty player and perhaps the dirtiest the NFL has ever seen. There have been noted dirty players in the NFL – Conrad Dobler was famous for biting fingers in pileups but Suh takes it to a level of attempting to injure someone on the field that go beyond just being involved in the play. His utter lack of professionalism and respect for his fellow players is only exceeded by those who rush to defend poor, misunderstood little Ndamukong.

On Monday Caldwell avoided giving his opinion on the incident during his Monday news conference, saying he'd wait to see how the NFL views it. Unquestionably the NFL looks at Suh and the Lions through very narrow eyes. The Lions laughable self-righteous indigence aside there is little to dispute. Rodgers avoided the controversy on Monday by saying “I don't know (if it was intentional). We'll look at the film. He'll probably say it was an accident; he was getting blocked into him. That's what (referee) Walt Anderson said. But we'll see."

Clearly Rodgers was furious with Suh but managed to keep his own views out of the press. And once again the eye of the storm Suh had nothing to say to reporters on Monday.

There are some who will believe that the NFL come down too hard on Suh and that is more a reflection of Rodgers status as the best in the business and less on his actions. It’s time to put that one to rest. Suh, his supporters and the Detroit Lions have fostered and protected a band of hooligans. The Lions have become the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers of the ‘70’s that kicked, fought, and hacked away at their opponents with little regard for consequence. They so stormed the NHL that the league was too slow to put an end to the violence that almost ruined their sport.

The league as a whole would be better off without Suh. One game, two games, $100,000 fines and a list of suspensions longer than the Lions futility in the NFL are not getting the message through.

When we should be talking about a great game – which it was – we are also forced to deal with the elephant in the room with Suh and his shenanigans. In Suh’s case we’ll dismiss the elephant and replace him with a more appropriate animal, one that better exemplifies Suh - like a jackass. With Suh there is no benefit of the doubt, no grey area. Go back to last year when he kicked (or didn’t kick according to Suh) Matt Schaub in the groin. He has clearly earned his latest sitdown and maybe it’s time to put some teeth into a suspension. Maybe a one year ban would send the right message. Perhaps docking the Lions a first or second round draft pick would get through to management and ownership.

The biggest blow would be a Lions loss in part because the very talented but immature giant who mans the middle of one of the NFL’s best defenses will be at home watching his teammates shoulder on without him. The ban also means for Suh that he will not be permitted to attend team meetings and functions, attend or watch practices, appear at the club's facilities for any reason, or have contact with any club personnel except to arrange off-site medical treatment or rehabilitation.

There is doubt anything will get through Suh’s thick skull. The Lions will most likely let him test the waters of free agency, which is a shame because when Suh sticks to playing football he could be one of the best. His long list of transgressions are simply too much to overlook.

The win means then Packers can get an extra week of rest and rehab. Considering Rodgers calf that is nothing but good news. And it means the Lions can celebrate their loss with a trip to Dallas.

Without their resident jackass.