Getty Ndamukong Suh before a 2019 game vs. the Lions.
There’s been no shortage of former Detroit Lions sharing their thoughts about the team past and present, and this week, quite possibly the most interesting man so far has chimed in.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, once a beloved former member of the team in Detroit, responded to a thread by former teammate Lawrence Jackson on Twitter. As he said, he believed Jim Schwartz was a good coach, and Jim Caldwell was the answer, but he wasn’t given enough resources by the team in order to be successful during his tenure, nor was he given enough time.
@LoJackson94 @Lions Schwartz was a good coach , Caldwell was the answer and didn’t get the ample opportunity to fully put his finger prints on the team, let alone make crucial decisions for further success !
Additionally, the community If I’m not mistaken loved and fully embraced the Caldwell’s!
Suh opening up on Twitter about his time in Detroit is very interesting considering he hasn’t said much about the Lions since he departed after the 2014 season in free agency and typically doesn’t open up much on social media. The Lions elected not to pay him and he seemed set on taking his talents to the Miami Dolphins where he cashed in on a huge contract. Arguably, Suh wasn’t the same dominating player he always was with the Lions after he left, even though he continued to put up stats and pile up accolades elsewhere.
When he started his career in Detroit, Suh played under Schwartz and then briefly Caldwell. His take on this matter comes as plenty of former Lions are comparing the Caldwell and Matt Patricia eras following Dan Orlovsky ripping the current staff for their 1-3 start and the assertion that the team was in rebuild mode when Patricia took over.
Clearly that’s not something any former players agree with, from the backup quarterback right down to one of their biggest former stars on defense.
Stephen Tulloch: Lions ‘Need Better’ Than Matt Patricia
Another former player has come forward with his disgust over where the team has been trending, and it’s linebacker Stephen Tulloch. On Twitter, Tulloch said he backs what Dan Orlovsky has been saying about Patricia, and admitted that he is frustrated watching his former team play now.
As a former captain and leader of @detroitlionsnfl its hard for me to watch my boys play. @dorlovsky said it best. Coach Caldwell had this team on the right track on and off the field. As a player who gave everything I had ever game, we need BETTER and we need it NOW……
Tulloch’s takeaway? The Lions need better than Patricia as a coach, and they need it now. Interestingly, it isn’t the first time the former linebacker has hammered the current staff on Twitter, but now, his calls have only seemingly grown in amplification given how poorly the team has played on the field.
It’s important to remember that Tulloch is loyal to Jim Caldwell and Jim Schwartz eras of football given he played for both coaches in Detroit, but his overall point sticks. The fans do deserve better than what the Lions are giving them on the field currently right now.
It will be interesting to see how vocal plenty of former Lions get regarding what’s happening in Detroit if the losing continues this season.
Ndamukong Suh Stats
In the case of Suh, the former Lions defensive tackle was known for his line crossing play. He drew a hefty fine for a stomp on Thanksgiving Day which at the time sure seemed like one of the more shocking acts ever seen on a football field minus what Albert Haynesworth did to Andre Gurode.
No stranger to controversy, Suh was also involved in incidents when he left Detroit. When he played with the Miami Dolphins, there was outrage after he kicked a ball carrier and also when he flung quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to the turf.
Even though Suh was best known for some of these incidents, there was no debating the impact he made on the field for the Lions statistically. In his career, he has put up a total of 60.5 sacks and 499 tackles through Week 4 of the 2020 season. With the Lions, he was a 4 time Pro Bowler and a 3 time first team All-Pro. Lions fans will always remember him for being a very intense defender and a player capable of wrecking the game with a big play.
According to Suh, Caldwell deserved more time and more of a chance to make an impact. That was a chance he never received.
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