Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman TJ Lang is not a member of the Ndamukong Suh fan club. The lineman, appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast on Memorial Day and let the world know he thinks the former Detroit Lion and current Miami Dolphin is a “nut job.”
Even worse than that, Lang called the former Nebraska Football star a “literal psychopath.” Lang added that he hated playing against the defender whenever the two teams matched up. That was about twice a year for a short period of time when both players were on NFC North squads.
The history of Suh before he met the Green Bay Packers
Ndamukong Suh has had a history of being called a “dirty player” since he left Nebraska and college football, leaving behind the reputation of being one of the most feared defenders of his generation. Suh was the man that made former Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini look like a defensive genius.
Pelini was someone who would just allow his defensive tackle free reign to go after the quarterback however he liked. More often than not, the big man would get his man, going over around and several times, through the player assigned to block him. During his final year in Nebraska, he even garnered mention as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate because he was simply one of the best football players in the game.
Going up against the Green Packers
When Suh was drafted out of college he was taken in the first round by the Detroit Lions and was almost immediately hit with accusations that he wasn’t playing the game the right way. Lang’s team was far from the only squad that claimed Suh was doing things not allowed under NFL rules but they appeared to be the victims more often than their counterparts.
It’s possible the Lions didn’t stop and even slightly encouraged the behavior from their star defender as a way to gain a bit of swagger over the perennial division power. Two incidents, in particular, stand out over the course of Suh’s career. There was the stomp of offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving Day and later on in his career, stepping on quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ leg.
The assault on the star QB earned him just a one game suspension and several teammates, including Lang were quite vocal the punishment should have been more severe.
While time has passed and Suh has left the NFC North, it’s clear hard feelings haven’t really faded. Lang is now a member of the Detroit Lions, but one of his new teammates seemed to have, at least slightly taken Suh’s side. Travis Swanson, a member of the Lions when the former Husker was also on the podcast and admitted Suh always went “full-tilt” even in practice.
