Ndamukong Suh has gone from franchise cornerstone to franchise headache for the Lions, who should learn this week if the defensive tackle will be suspended for his Thanksgiving Day stomp on Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Suh's ejection and dumbfounding explanation afterward led to the generally held belief that the second-year pro is out of control. And former Colts coach Tony Dungy believes Suh's behavior was avoidable if he had been communicated with properly.
"I really have to fault the Detroit organization. I think they really could have stopped this," Dungy, now an NBC analyst, said Monday on "The Dan Patrick Show." "I think they could have made a preemptive strike and said, 'Hey, you know what? We've got to get this player under control.'
"He's a great player, he plays with high energy, but they just need to do a better job channeling it in the right direction," Dungy added. "And I think that starts with the coaching staff and the organization."
Suh's actions have trickled down to Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who's now being portrayed as an excitable type whose behavior helps explain why the Lions have struggled with discipline issues this season.
"I know Coach Schwartz has felt like, 'We got to change the culture, we can't be the people that everybody wants to play. We've got to develop that case of, 'Hey we're going to win those physical battles on the field,' " Dungy said. "But when it comes to penalties, to personal fouls, to ejections, you got to draw the line, and I think they could have helped him much more than they did."
Should Schwartz have come down harder on his young star before Thursday? You certainly can make the argument, but Suh is a grown man who's capable of being held accountable for his own behavior. Pushing blame onto the organization lessens the responsibility expected of the player.
