Aug 1, 2011; Allen Park, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley (left) and Ndamukong Suh (90) during training camp at the Detroit Lions practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley has had a very outspoken offseason so far. First, he predicted that the Lions would win the NFC Championship and go to the Super Bowl.

Now is declaring that Ndamukong Suh and himself make up the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL.

“Of course,” Fairley told the Lion’s website. “We’re going to give guys trouble, man. It’s like pick your poison this year with our defensive line. You cannot come in and double-team Ndamukong and you can’t come in and double-team me.”

The Detroit Lions bolstered their defensive front by drafting defensive end Ezekiel Ansah in the first round. It does give them a formidable front line loaded with first round draft picks, except for Jason Jones who was drafted in the 2nd round. Assuming that everyone played up to their potential they’d certainly have their hands full.

“You won’t be able to double-team Ziggy (Ansah) or Jason Jones or Willie (Young). You have to pick who you’re going to bring your back to chip. We’re going to feed off each other, and when we get that chemistry down, it’s going to look real good for us.”

I don’t think anyone would be too worried about initially rookie defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. But the rest of the line could present enough problems that he could take advantage of the lack of attention.

The biggest thing for Fairley though is staying healthy. He had an injury plagued first season but had a strong finish to his second season.

“I’m where I want to be coming into OTAs and minicamp and everything, which right now is at 315,” Fairley said. “We still have two months before training camp, but I think I’m at where I want to be.”

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) dances in the end zone after his touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Ok guys, the time has come for us to have a talk.  I’d hoped that it wouldn’t have to be this way, but I’ve got no choice now.  NFL players have a frightening addiction.  It’s not anything they can eat, drink or inject, but rather an odd “hobby.”  That’s right, I’m talking about celebrity reality competition shows.

At first, it was innocuous enough.  Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice turned in medal-stand performances on Dancing with the Stars.  That’s fine.  They’re former players just trying to keep the paychecks flowing and the fans fawning.

Then, a couple years ago, housewives across the country tugged on our replica jerseys to ask who Chad Ochocinco was as he appeared in sequined garb on the show.  Ochocinco, who was trying to maintain NFL relevance, was wasting time mugging for the cameras as he twirled a couple months of his prime into the gutter.  We thought Chad’s entry was an outlier; he had his own Bachelor knock off show for crying out loud.  But no, as Donald Driver proved last year, current NFL players are getting in on the bit as well.

Last night, it was revealed that Jacoby Jones, he the fortunate receiver of several Joe Flacco arm-punts this past season, will appear on the next season of Dancing with the Stars.  Jones showed his moves celebrating in the end zone in the Super Bowl, but that’s after an amazing catch and run for a touchdown, not after zipping into a silk onesie.

It’s not even the unmanliness of the thing that gets me, it’s the fact that these guys are still trying to make a much more lucrative existence in a sport that demands peak health.  It’s only a matter of time before one of these guys pulls something in dance practice, leaving him on the sideline for their NFL gig and engendering the chagrin of the fans, media and teammates.  Hopefully that doesn’t happen, but it seems like these guys are setting themselves up for an unnecessary risk.

Speaking of unnecessary risk, dancing isn’t even the most dangerous reality endeavor being attempted by an NFL player this offseason.  Ndamukong Suh will be appearing in the celebrity diving show “Splash” in a matter of weeks.  The premise is simple: Celebrities train with professional divers and then do individual dives for a panel of judges.  This idea sounds fine for, say, a guy like Tony Siragusa or Jerome Bettis (not actual competitors, just examples), but for a Pro Bowl caliber defensive tackle still in the league, it just seems dicey.

If the concept of the show isn’t enough of a red flag, there’s this.  Suh and diving coach Greg Louganis (he of the concussion received from a diving board) rescued Louie Anderson from drowning during a recent practice.  I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Suh is probably in better shape than Anderson, but the fact that somebody is having to be rescued should give Lions fans a bit of pause.

One thing we can take away from Suh’s foray into lifeguarding is this: maybe the bench press isn’t the most effective way to gauge college graduates’ strength at the combine.  Perhaps, instead of how many reps a player can knock out on the bench, they should test how many times they can hoist Louie Anderson out of a pool.  At least the, it would make for great TV, and that’s what it’s all about right?

November 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) knocks down Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) during the second half of a game on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. The Texans won 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

The NFL decided not to suspend Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for his shot to the groin of Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub on Thanksgiving day, but the star defensive lineman did not avoid all punishment.

The league announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have fined Suh $30,000 for the kick.

Suh avoided suspension after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was having a hard time deciding whether or not the kick was intentional, but the league decided there must have been some malicious intent in order to deliver the fine.

It is surprising that Suh got away without a suspension, despite using his foot to strike a player for the second-straight year on Thanksgiving. The NFL is generally hard on repeat offenders, but Suh was able to escape this situation without much punishment for his actions.

Welcome back, Ndamukong Suh. The Detroit Lions susperstar defensive tackle will return to the team after finishing out his two-game suspension he received following his Thanksgiving day stomp of Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith.

The return of Suh brings the Lions their defensive leader and should help the team as they prepare for the season’s final stretch.

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(Source: Facebook.com)

Just minutes after the Detroit Lions issued a statement on Ndamukong Suh’s stomp that was heard around the world, Suh issued a statement of his own on his official Facebook fan page.

In the past few hours, I have had time to reflect on yesterday’s game and I want to sincerely apologize for letting my teammates down, the organization, and especially to my fans who look to me for positive inspiration.

Playing professional sports is not a game. It is a profession with great responsibility, and where performance on and off the field should never be compromised. It requires a calm and determined demeanor, which cannot be derailed by the game, referee calls, fans or other players.

I want to reiterate my commitment to working to become a better player, and professional—on and off the field. My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable. I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand — by winning.

It’s about time that Suh took responsibility for his actions. His excuse that he was “just trying to catch his balance” was complete garbage. Suh now realizes his actions were unacceptable and he apologizes for his mistake. Well done, Suh. Unfortunately, this won’t help stop the suspension that is surely on it’s way.

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The on-field conduct exhibited by Ndamukong Suh that led to his ejection from yesterday’s game was unacceptable and failed to meet the level of sportsmanship we expect from our players. Ndamukong has made many positive contributions to the Lions on and off the field. We expect his behavior going forward to consistently reflect that high standard of professionalism. We have been in contact with Commissioner Goodell’s office and were advised that, like any on-field matter, Thursday’s incident is subject to review by the league office and that subsequent discipline would be determined by the league office.

What the Lions should do, before the league office makes their decision, is suspended Suh for a game. If the team takes matters into their own hands, perhaps Commissioner Goodell would be a little lighter on the punishment. The Lions did get one thing right, however. Suh’s actions were unacceptable.

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Photo: US Presswire

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh became the story of the NFL’s Thanksgiving day triple-header after he inexplicably stomped on the arm of a Green Bay Packers offensive lineman. Suh has quite the reputation for being a dirty player and he displayed why he has received that label during a game on national television.

What’s next for Suh? This is the guy who requested a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell. Suh has delivered late hits and gone head hunting time and time again, but he has avoided punishment. Could he avoid punishment again following yesterday’s ejection? Doubtful.

Suh needs to be suspended one game. I have applauded Suh in the past for his physical play and “playing through the whistle.” However, this recent outburst crossed the line. You can’t stomp on anyone intentionally. It is completely unacceptable and disrespectful. Suh completely lost his head and could have seriously injured an opponent.

Suh has gotten to this point after being enabled by the media and his head coach Jim Schwartz. Like myself, many have praised Suh’s physical play and attitude, but those previous plays where all within the whistle. As soon as you cross the line like Suh did, the commissioner has to step in to stop this before it gets any worse. Sorry, Suh. You’ve got to sit on that bench for another game… maybe two, if Goodell really wants to send a message. Check out video of the Suh stomp after the jump.

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The stomping came immediately after Suh drove Setterstrom’s head into the turf. Suh’s actions resulted in a game misconduct penalty that led to his ejection.

It is a big loss for Detroit, who know find themselves in a 14-0 hole. There is no way to defend Suh’s actions on this one. The officials made the right call. You cannot lose your cool in such an important game. Shame on you, Suh.

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[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/ndamukong_suh/status/103858721003798528"]

Suh appears to be the only person who is shocked that he was fined. It his his third fine and  the dollar amount has increased with each hit — $7,500, $15,000 and now $20,000. Suh’s fine is completely appropriate. His hit on Dalton, however, was not. He slammed Dalton to the ground and nearly took his head off long after Dalton had released the pass.

You can see Suh’s violent hit that earned him the fine after the jump.

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It is also possible that Jerry Jones decides to make a splash in free agency and finds a way to fit Asomugha under the Dallas Cowboys salary cap. [The Landry Hat]

However, Asomugha’s current teammate Stanford Routt says that as far as he’s concered, Asomugha is “still a Raider.” [Just Blog Baby]

Lions stud defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh will be holding a youth football camp and you can save $50 on registration. [Side Lion Report]

The Madden NFL 12 release date is getting closer and there will be a lot of changes in this year’s presentation. Here is a 12 minute clip of gameplay between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. [Arrowhead Addict]

It is never too early to start looking ahead to the 2012 NFL Draft. After a weak safety crop in this year’s draft, who are the standouts for next year’s class? [NFL Mocks]

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports stops by to discuss the NFL Lockout and a potential new CBA. [Cat Crave Radio]