Caldwell Claims Suh Hit Clean
December 9th, 2014
The Lions head coach says this is clean football
Just inside the two-minute warning of the first half, notorious Ndamukong Suh of the Lions got flagged for clubbing Josh McCown in the chops.
While the hit was just out of the FOX live-game camera angle, the oohs and ahs from the Lions faithful could be heard clearly.
Naturally, Suh got slapped with a roughing-the-passer flag giving Tampa Bay a first down.
But Lions coach Jim Caldwell came racing to his defensive tackle’s defense, claiming the hit was legal, so types Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
“When you take a look at it, you can see where his initial contact is made and then, from there, obviously, the hand kind of slid up a little bit, or the forearm slid up,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said today. “And it’ll be for the league to make a determination on it, because he had two that were almost identical: one on one side of the field and one on the other. One was not flagged, but the league will take a look at it and see what they think.”
Caldwell said that the Lions submit questionable penalty calls to the league for review, but he did not say whether that infraction was one that the team turned in this week.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doesn’t matter where Suh began the clubbing. If a defender’s arm or hand is anywhere near a quarterback’s head, he’s going to get flagged. Surely a guy like Suh, who is no stranger to personal foul penalties and fines, knows this. If he doesn’t, what does that say about a Nebraska education?
Joe understands Caldwell was sticking up and lobbying for Suh, but don’t treat people as fools. Suh got McCown in the grill. That’s a penalty.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:02 am
Won’t see that move in the kid’s tackling clinic that the NFL puts on.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:05 am
How about just the fact that the ball was thrown and Suh took 2 big (nba ) steps then applied the “People’s Elbow”!
December 9th, 2014 at 9:07 am
I wish Michelle Johnson would hit like that. Makes me miss Clayborn and his toughness which we have none of anymore. OLine is soft, not just Collins belly, the whole line. Just don’t win baby
December 9th, 2014 at 9:12 am
An intentional and hard forearm shot to the head of a QB is what I saw. Not only is that a penalty – but also a big fine in today’s NFL – particularly considering Suh’s history.
Caldwell is trying to soften the impact with his words because that is darn near a suspendable offense and once again – because of Suh’s history probably should be. You think if Goldson did that to a QB that he wouldn’t get at least a game or 2 suspension? 100% he would and Suh should too.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:14 am
Let’s face it if that hit was on Brady (I wish), Peyton or Rodgers. Suh would have been ejected from the game and possibly suspended. Not that I agree but that is the NFL M.O at this time.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:15 am
A late cheap hit….the bad karma he’s building will come back to him one day…I hope he tears an acl or breaks his ankle
December 9th, 2014 at 9:18 am
Caldwell might as well as said “he had it coming”!
December 9th, 2014 at 9:18 am
I wonder if Caldwell will pay half of Suh’s fine when he gets the FedEx envelope from the league?
December 9th, 2014 at 9:21 am
How long before tackling the quarterback in any way is illegal?
December 9th, 2014 at 9:21 am
Who cares? The Bucs suck. Block someone and your QB won’t get killed.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:27 am
Shouldn’t the $100k fine go to the person who received the cheap shot – instead of into the league’s bank account?
I think McCown deserves at least a $100k bonus for lasting that whole game with the beating he took and Suh’s cheap shot on top of it…
December 9th, 2014 at 9:27 am
That was dirty, dirty, dirty. It’s not even a close call.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:29 am
I love Suh and the way he plays. He is a throwback player and the league has become too soft. I wish he played for the Bucs. We might actually have a little toughness and feared identity. Blame these garbage olinemen that lapdog Licht hired to whiff blocks and collect checks.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:34 am
The Buc Realist Says
“How about just the fact that the ball was thrown and Suh took 2 big (nba ) steps then applied the “People’s Elbow”!”
McCown dropped like a “Rock”!
December 9th, 2014 at 10:01 am
Now now Dallasbuc we don’t want a mean and nasty player like that.
We prefer to have losers….err….I mean leaders that play nice, help people up off the ground and accept defeat.
My BS aside, I’d like to buy Suh a drink for trying to knock prettyboy’s head off.
December 9th, 2014 at 10:34 am
lol. I love that picture.
did mcclown get up and cry like a baby?
the NFL as a whole is going soft and getting boring to watch.
this is a contact sport………someone upstairs seems to have forgotten that.
December 9th, 2014 at 10:40 am
TALK ABOUT EVALUATING…..CAN YOU REALLY LOOK AT THAT PLAY AND DEFEND AN OBVIOUS CALL LIKE THAT…DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOVIE AND CALDWELL IS SIMPLY A PLAYOFF TYPE ROSTER, YOU CANT BE TOO BRIGHT IF YOU LOOK AT THAT FOREARM AND SAY THAT’S CLEAN ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW SOFT THE LEAGUE IS NOW. EVERY QUARTERBACK IN THE HISTORY OF THE NFL WOULD GET THAT CALL NOW AND A DECADE AGO UNLESS YOUR JOSH FREEMAN OR JAMARCUSS RUSSELL
December 9th, 2014 at 10:50 am
^^^is it necessary to use all CAPS? Do what you want but it doesn’t drive home the point any more…
December 9th, 2014 at 11:05 am
Doesn’t matter what the penalty was, whether it was a blow to the head or a late hit. It was a penalty either way and the other hit, whille not a blow to the head, was also late.
December 9th, 2014 at 11:08 am
@ Pickgrin
Fines (player/coach/GM/owner) do NOT go into the league bank account. ALL fines go to charities.
December 9th, 2014 at 11:28 am
So Suh should have received Two Flags
December 9th, 2014 at 11:55 am
Pickgrin Says:
An intentional and hard forearm shot to the head of a QB is what I saw. Not only is that a penalty – but also a big fine in today’s NFL – particularly considering Suh’s history.
Caldwell is trying to soften the impact with his words because that is darn near a suspendable offense and once again – because of Suh’s history probably should be. You think if Goldson did that to a QB that he wouldn’t get at least a game or 2 suspension? 100% he would and Suh should too.
Spot on. I think the league office will be calling the Lion’s this week regarding this play. Caldwell is trying to cover his player’s a$$ from being suspended for a game or two while they are fighting for a wild card spot. Irony would be Suh gets suspended and the Lions lose the games he’s held out plus they don’t make the playoffs. Even more ironic would be seeing Suh leave in free agency after the season when the Lions miss the playoffs.
December 9th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
I think it would do McCown well to get Suh’d every once in aa while.
December 9th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
I think Mathis is just as dirty. Always have. I don’t know how in the world he got away with holding Evans’ hand down so often. I thought zebras and lions were natural enemies?
December 9th, 2014 at 1:48 pm
McCown was getting beat up regularly. That he keep getting back up in one piece gives him credit in my view with his bulldoggedness.
December 9th, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Considering the thug’s history, he should have been ejected rom the game right on the spot. Does anyone think when he threw the second forearm into the chest if it had been Tom Brady he had done that to the thug wouldn’t have been ejected on the spot.
Terribly officiated game on Sunday. From the no call on the pass interference play on Evans that resulted in an INT to a missed blatant holding call on McCoy on the very next play where the OL hooked him as he was rushing the QB, the refs,looked,like they were determined to put the Lions into the playoffs.
Great game zebras.
December 9th, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Robert 9, you are not only a jerk, you are a moronic jerk. You sound like the type of imbecile who stops at traffic accidents just to look at the pain and suffering.
I don’t care what Brady Quinn thinks, the delivering of a forearm to a defenseless player is illegal in the NFL.
I don’t care what kind of penalty would have been called, our OL should have started chop blocking on Suh’s knees until they rolled him out of the dome on a stretcher.
I can only hope one day some team will do that. I know that puts me in the same league as Robert 9, but at least it won’t be without cause or merit.
December 9th, 2014 at 9:17 pm
I agree, Suh needs a payback something heavy.