Say It Ain't Suh: Detroit Lions' Defensive Star Ndamukong Suh Faces Suspension

The Oakland Raiders set the standard as a football team that lived on the border between useful intimidation and hurtful losses of composure.

The classic Raiders teams under John Madden and later Tom Flores in the 1970s and 1980s weren't afraid to take a penalty if it was one that could send a message to an opponent about activities such as running pass routes across the middle of the field or getting a little too feisty with one's pass-rush activities. Somewhere along the way, a Raider would deliver a message to the opposition.

The NFL is a vastly different place in the 21st century. Many of the tactics used by the old Raiders are either outright illegal or would bring supplemental discipline after the game for crossing one of the many blurry lines now in place regarding player conduct and safety.

So, that border between intimidation and stupid is much easier to cross and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh didn't just cross it. Oh, no—he leaped over it and then danced to celebrate the crossing.

His headslam-stomp party on Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith was the turning point in the Lions' 27-15 loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving Day. Suh was ejected, and instead of facing a fourth down and a field-goal opportunity, Green Bay got a first down because of Suh's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and eventually scored a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead.

Now comes the question of how much more Suh's moment of madness will cost the Lions.

This isn't a question of if Suh will suspended, despite his lame attempts to rationalize his behavior in post-game interviews. Rather it's merely a question of when the penalty will come down, whether or not Suh will appeal it and how long it winds up lasting.

It's just the sort of thing a team fighting for a playoff spot does not need to be dealing with.

Suh is unquestionably the Lions' best defensive player. He is a nightmare for opposing offenses to contend with.

But because of his hair-trigger temper, he's also a nightmare for his own team to contend with. Thursday's infraction was Suh's ninth unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in 27 NFL games—an alarming once-every-three-games clip.

Suh has complained about the reputation he's begun to develop as one of the league's dirtiest players. He went so far as to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell during Detroit's bye week to seek clarification on certain aspects of the rules.

Then, three weeks later, he goes bat-guano nuts on national television.

He's not the only Lion to lose his composure this season, either. Here's a newsflash for coach Jim Schwartz: This whole super-tough, over-the-top intense thing isn't really working.

It was Schwartz himself who set the tone for his team with his childish chase of San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh after a loss at Ford Field last month. Schwartz's reason? He didn't like the way Harbaugh shook his hand.

Two weeks ago, quarterback Matthew Stafford should have been flagged for unnecessary roughness for his facemask takedown of Chicago Bears cornerback D.J. Moore following an interception. However, because the rules favor protection of quarterbacks, it was Moore who was penalized for retaliating.

That was followed by Suh's meltdown on Thursday.

Stafford and Suh are the young faces of this rising franchise, guys who already need to be counted upon to be leaders on a young team still trying to figure it all out.

There appears to be little margin for error in the NFC wild-card race, with four teams at 6-4 or better vying for two spots. If a Suh suspension winds up costing the Lions a playoff berth, it would be a shame.

But maybe the indignity of missing the playoffs after a 5-0 start would be the catalyst necessary to get this talented, young bunch to grow up already.