Ndamukong Suh Jake Delhomme

When the Detroit Lions took Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh second overall in this year’s NFL draft, they were expecting an instant impact player. In one sequence of Saturday night’s preseason game against the Browns, Suh gave the Lions a little more than they wanted to see with a rather…enthusiastic facemask penalty while taking down Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme.

The play actually started out as exactly what the Lions dreamed of when they drafted Suh – he got through two different blockers with relative ease and made his way to Delhomme in short order, forcing him to throw the ball away. All of that’s good. The obvious facemask penalty Suh committed before putting Delhomme in a headlock and throwing him to the ground, however, didn’t fly.

Since Suh didn’t actually injure Delhomme, it’s pretty funny – the announcers couldn’t tell quite what had happened at first, saying Suh “might have gotten a facemask.”

Then, when the replay showed the facemask, along with the ensuing choke hold, was comically obvious, all they could do was say things like, “…gets inside the helmet, then he tries to take the head with him. You can’t do that; the quarterback needs that.”

Video of the play below. If Suh can just do everything prior to the penalty – and then keep himself in check – on a regular basis, he’ll be a star.

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Ndamukong Suh

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The Ndamukong Suh play against Jake Delhomme (video below) is now under NFL review.  Ndamukong Suh’s play against Jake Delhomme prompted Browns coach Eric Mangini to denounce the Suh play and call for NFL involvement. Suh got a 15 yard penalty for the slamming of Delhomme to the  ground. NFL spokesman Gregg Aiello confirms the league is investigating the  matter but would not provide any further details. Suh said he just messed up, that he thought Delhomme still had the ball.

Brown players told football news Monday that Suh should be suspended while fellow Lions defended Suh. In contrast, Lions players justify it as an error lacking any intent to cause harm; they assert Suh just messed up and truly believed Delhomme still had the ball. Mangini agreed that Suh didn’t do it on purpose but that the play did put the safety of Delhomme at risk. Delhomme’s position on the matter is more relaxed. He says whatever the NFL decides he supports. But he adds that he was happy to get a first down off the mistake.

Online reaction to the video has been mixed. “If he did that to Brett Favre or Tom Brady, he’d definitely be? ejected, fined and suspended” comments one viewer. Many felt it was nothing more than a penalty. “Delhomme looked like a rag doll. Its a penalty, but nothing more.” Others contend the means by which Suh effectuated the play was dirty “that was a dirty play. It’s one thing to get a face mask but to just toss a guy around by the neck? Dirty.”

One notes that Suh tackles high and show be more careful to avoid penalties. “If you look at his highlights this is pretty much how Suh tackles. He grabs pretty high. definitely not malicious. The toss at the end is what he does too.” And one simply notes “it’s not wise for a rookie to make enemies of veteran players in the NFL.”

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