Lions Report: Nick Fairley meet Ndomukong Suh

Something is very different in Detroit this upcoming football season.  People are talking about the Lions in a positive light and not just diehard Lions fans.  I have even heard the words Lions and playoffs in the same sentence.  Much of the talk revolves around third year quarterback Matthew Stafford.  He has shown strong leadership when he has been on the field, but his first two seasons have been cut short by injuries.  Many people think that if Stafford remains healthy the Lions have a good chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Certainly Stafford’s health, leadership and play will be extremely important to this year’s Lions season.  However, Detroit’s success is more likely to be determined on the opposite side of the ball.  According to John Clayton of ESPN, Nick Fairley should be matched up with last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Ndomukong Suh sometime in September.  Fairley has the potential to win the award this year if he is able to get and stay healthy for the regular season.  This pair can be a dominant force and are already bringing fear to opposing quarterbacks.

With a ferocious defensive center, the Lions can shut down the running game and make teams one dimensional.  Fairley and Suh have the athleticism to create pass pressure right up the middle, directly into the quarterback's face.  Dominant defensive line play can make the secondary better, force more turnovers and give the Lions’ offense a shorter field to work with.  A shorter field will help keep Stafford upright and healthy and the Lions playing with a lead.  Remember offense fills the stands, but defense wins championships.  Along with Stafford and Calvin Johnson on offense, Fairley and Suh are the foundation for the Detroit Lions.

Fairley and Suh bring a nastiness that can take over a game.  Of course this is the Lions and with the kinder, gentler NFL rules, what was once considered great defense may now result in 15 yard penalties and fines for the defensive duo.  Unwarranted penalties for great hits could limit their effectiveness.  Fairley and Suh will anchor a defensive line that could show the greatness of the Monsters of the Midway, the Steel Curtain, the Fearsome Foursome and the Purple People Eaters.  That would mean great times for Lions fans this year and in the future.  However if Fairley and Suh are penalized for hits that would make Dick Butkus, Mean Joe Green, Deacon Jones and Carl Eller proud, the Lions could see defeat snatched from the hands of victory. 

It’s my opinion that Nick Fairley and Ndomukong Suh will be able to keep the nastiness factor high within the Brady / Manning era of softhearted NFL rules.  Fairley’s presence will make Suh even more dominant than his rookie season.  So it’s time for preseason predictions.  I have high hopes for this Lions team, but they still have some more building to do.  Regardless, I have the Lions going 10 – 6 and winning their first playoff game in twenty years.  However that is as far as they will go this season.  After twenty years though, Detroit fans may give them a parade for a playoff victory.  OK, that may be going a little too far!  Still, Lions fans have a ton to be excited about this 2011 season.