The Detroit Lions concluded their relatively successful 2014 season on a sour note this past Sunday, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Now they move on to the offseason and it looks to be not only a busy one but possibly their most important one under general manager Martin Mayhew; one rife with questions all along the roster. Of those questions, none looms larger than "Should the Lions re-sign Ndamukong Suh?" It's a relatively heated topic considering Suh's history both on and off the field. Honestly, this should be a no-brainer, but because of Suh's checkered history in his time as a Lion, it's not as cut-and-dried as you'd think it would be.
When people think of Suh, these are just a few of the transgressions that stand out in their minds:
- 2010: A $20,000 fine for twisting Cleveland Browns QB Jake Delhomme's helmet around on a sack attempt in a preseason game, and a $15,000 fine for roughing Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler (in what most assuredly was a clean but strong shove on Cutler while he was scrambling)
- 2011: Stomping on Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm, which garnered both a $165,294 fine and a two-game suspension (the only games Suh has ever missed as a Lion)
- 2012: Kicking Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub in the groin, resulting in a $30,000 fine
- 2013: A low block on Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan during a DeAndre Levy interception return that resulted in a gigantic $100,000 fine.
This season Suh had a clean slate up until he stepped on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers while he laid on the ground, which originally got Suh suspended for the Wild Card game against Dallas but was eventually turned into a simple $70,000 fine on appeal.
It's quite a long rap sheet and I've left a few out. Plus, those are just some of the on-field transgressions that he was actually fined for. He's regarded as a dirty player who hits late, pushes players' heads into the ground, twists players' ankles in scrums, etc. Suh has also had a number of traffic incidents that have resulted in legal fines and even one lawsuit.
Needless to say, it's easy to see why some Lions fans and national pundits believe the Lions shouldn't re-sign Suh. "He's a dirty player," they say. "He's not a team player," they claim. "He only cares about himself," is a popular one.
All those things may be true. But here are some other facts:
- Suh just completed his fifth season in the NFL and he has been named All-Pro first-team in four of those years. Less prestigious but still somewhat noteworthy is that Suh is also a four-time Pro Bowler.
- Suh has amassed 241 tackles, 36 sacks (including a back-to-back pair in Sunday's Wild Card game), 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
- Suh has grown as a position leader, if not necessarily a team leader, having given his fellow defensive linemen reclining seats for the film room in the past, and gifting tubs of popcorn for film room this year along with ugly Christmas sweaters for a group photo just last month.
- And as AOL's Annie Moore points out…
"Suh was named America's most charitable athlete by The Giving Back Fund in 2011. Suh donated $2.6 million to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, to go towards strength and conditioning programs, as well as set up an endowed fund for the Nebraska College of Engineering -- which Suh graduated from with a degree in construction management. Suh's $2.6 million donation was more than Eli Manning (University of Mississippi) and Tom Brady (the Red Cross) donated, combined. Not to mention his efforts through his own charity programs, including the Ndamukong Suh Family Fund, Camp SUH, the 90 Backpack Program and SUH's Scholar Program."
Those points are usually left out of the conversation when discussing Suh's career as a Detroit Lions.
Now, I'm sure some of you might be asking how any of that pertains to the future and whether the Lions should bring Suh back or not. Fair enough. Let's get to talking about Suh's value on the field and on the bottom line after the jump.
