Ndamukong Suh told the Lions' website that he's maturing as a football player, starting to use his intelligence as much as his strength. He's trying to go from Kimbo Slice to John Jones.
The criticism on Suh for the last couple of years is that his uncontrolled aggression did nothing to help his team.
Suh is still considered one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. Now, it's just about him progressing as he gets older.
“I think without question it’s just growing up,” Suh said, via ProFootballTalk. “Being in the game four years deep now and understanding that it’s not all about brute strength. Really, when I was coming out as a rookie it was just being physical and playing as hard and as fast as possible. Now it’s a combination of the two. Knowing where I can cheat a guy or beat a guy because I see him leaning or doing something different. He thinks I’m doing this because we always do this in a particular play and I can switch it up and still beat a guy.”
It's all talk until it happens on the field. The Lions are one of many talented NFC teams heading into the season, but regressed in 2012 after what appeared to be a promising future in 2011. Suh, just as he has been for the past three seasons, will be a key piece in how things develop in Detroit this year.
