Detroit -- Remember all those people who talked about how you shouldn't take a defensive lineman early in the draft because they rarely pan out?
Those people hadn't seen Ndamukong Suh play in the NFL yet. They had seen him dominate at Nebraska but figured the jump might be too much for him, as it had been for others.
It's time to forget that idea and start thinking more about Rookie of the Year honors.
Suh came into the game leading the NFL for the most sacks among rookies and tied for the most sacks among all defensive tackles.
By the end of the game, the crowd of 42,329 at Ford Field was not just cheering the Lions' 37-25 victory over the Washington Redskins, they were chanting, "Suuuuuuuuuh!"
Suh tackled Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb twice for a total loss of 17 yards. He also iced the game for the Lions when he recovered Rex Grossman's fumble, forced by Kyle Vanden Bosch, and took it 17 yards for a touchdown. Suh did a little dance as he held out the football while Santana Moss tried to stop him from going into the end zone.
"I did celebrate a little too early," Suh admitted. "I didn't realize how far out I was at. The guy came and hit me in the back. He went high instead of low. Usually when you hit a big guy up high you're not going to take him down, so that's why I kept going into the end zone."
Fellow Nebraska alum Dominic Raiola was a little worried watching the play but enjoyed the outcome.
"He's high-stepping, securing the ball, high-stepping," Raiola said. "That's like some Leon Lett stuff and he secured it. He's a monster. I knew what kind of player he was. He was so NFL-ready coming out of college. Everybody gets to see that now but it's no surprise to me. He's really a game-changer."
Vanden Bosch, another Nebraska guy, enjoyed teaming up with his fellow Cornhusker.
"It was fun," Vanden Bosch said. "We got a lead there at the end and we could just pin our ears back and rush. That was kind of the nail in the coffin. It was nice to be able to make that play for this team. I was excited. I've got a lot of roles for this team, being a leader, but I want to be a playmaker for this team and it was nice to make a big play when we needed it."
Coach Jim Schwartz said he could have lived without Suh's celebration.
"Probably the only thing that needs to be talked about with Suh is ball security," Schwartz said. "I came close to having a heart attack a lot of times in my life, but that was one of them.
"The whole play was in slow motion. He never expected a receiver to be behind him. Everything was clear right there. It shows you how strong Ndamukong is that that guy comes up behind him like that and he can just palm the football. But we need to do a better job of securing that one right there. He's playing outstanding football."
Poor McNabb probably came close to a heart attack himself because of Suh, especially on one brief second-quarter possession. The Redskins were at their own 24-yard line and Suh sacked McNabb for a loss of eight. Two plays later, on 3rd and 13, Suh got him again for a loss of nine yards, forcing the Redskins to punt.
Suh said he liked that sequence more than his fumble return for a touchdown.
"Sacks of course," Suh said. "They mean a little bit more to me. They are things that are shutting down their offense."
All receiver Nate Burleson knows is he's happy to have Suh on his side.
"He's a freak, man," Burleson said. "He's physically something that most teams are not ready for, I don't care how much film study you do, how many weights you lift. When you line up against him and our defensive line, you're not going to be ready."
The two sacks gave Suh a tie with Kalimba Edwards for the second-most sacks among Lions' rookies since 1982. He's also only the fourth rookie since 1982 to collect two sacks in a game, joining linebacker Tracy Hayworth against Green Bay in 1990, defensive end Tracy Scroggins in 1992 and Edwards in 2002.
Vanden Bosch said the numbers don't like when it comes to Suh and what he's accomplished in just seven games.
"He's playing really well," Vanden Bosch said. "I hate to use superlatives but he's one of the best in the game. It's hard to argue that.
"Suh continues to make big play after big play after big play every week. Sometimes a defensive tackle will have a really good week and then disappear but Suh continues to be a big-time playmaker for this defense. Like I said, he's only going to get better so the sky's the limit with him."
Oct. 31, 2010
