After Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh roughed up Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the preseason opener, I asked whether Suh is a dirty player.
Unsurprisingly, Suh says he’s not.
“There’s always a fine line between dirtiness and aggressiveness,” Suh said. “I know to this point, in my own heart, I haven’t crossed that line by any means.”
Suh was fined twice last year, for hits on Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and he’ll likely be fined for his hit on Dalton. Lions veteran defensive tackle Corey Williams said he’s worried that Suh may be in the crosshairs of the league office.
“They are going to have it out for him now,” Williams said.
But Suh plans to keep playing the way he’s been playing.
“It’s the reason people play football; aggression is the name of the sport,” Suh said. “It means being violent and being very aggressive and getting after the quarterback. That’s what you are known for. That’s what you do. If you didn’t do that then I don’t think you’d be playing football in the NFL. . . . That’s the way I’ve been taught and that’s the way I will continue to play.”