Lions Should Sign Suh... If They Can.

Right now, I think it is a fair chance the Lions can sign Ndamukong Suh. And they should.

Suh is, simply put, the best Defensive Tackle in the NFL. In a league where the DT has always been an afterthought on the defensive line, and the Defensive End, who gets all the sacks, has been the star, the one player that Suh is often compared to in debates if he is as good as, is J.J.Watt. The best Defensive End in the NFL!

Almost every time a team has tried to run up the middle against Suh, they failed. So often in fact, that some offensive coordinators choose not to bother trying. When you can take the middle of the field away from the run game, you really hamper an offense. When it comes to taking that middle of the field away, Ndamukong Suh is the best.

No quarterback looks forward to playing opposite Suh. It takes two blockers to slow him down. They dont stop him very often. They only slow him down. When he isnt getting sacks, he is still very often in the backfield, getting pressure and often hits on the quarterbacks. He pushes the middle of the pocket back, keeping the quarterbacks from having a comfortable place to step into. This often will leave the QB with a choice between taking a sack from the outside rushers, and scrambling away.

It has been said over and over in the NFL, and there is no cliche' that is more accurate. "The Game is won in the trenches!" When you control the line of scrimmage, you win games, and Ndamukong Suh is one of the greatest at doing just that.

Often fans like to believe the Lions should let Suh walk and keep Fairley. I have even chuckled at a few comments about how Fairley is as good or better than Suh. Dont kid yourself. When Fairley went down with an injury, the common thought was that the defense would take a huge hit. Yet it never missed a step. The reason for this is because it is not that Fairley was so good, but because he looked so good playing alongside of Suh. When Cj Mosely stepped in and became the next starter, he did so seamlessly.  The Lions can get another DT to play next to Suh and possibly improve the defensive line, but if they lose Suh, the line takes a harsh step backwards.

Most fans who want to let Suh go are afraid of the cash flow problems. This will only be a real problem if the Lions toss the Franchise Tag on the best DT in the NFL. The $26.9 Million that would take is just too steep a price at this time. But if they sign him to a multi-year long term deal, they can afford that. Even if it cost them 18 million this year, and I dont believe it will cost that much.

The Detroit Lions had the #2 defense last year and the best run defense overall. With good reasons to believe the offense will get better, if they want to make a push for the Superbowl, they need to keep the defense in tact. This is not impossible if Suh leaves, and if he does walk, i will go deeper into how the Lions can still succeed, but keeping the best DT in the game is by far the easiest way and surest way to go forward and not backward next year.