First off let me say that I can’t stand when anonymous players or GM’s rip players on other teams or players on their team. If you’re gonna talk smack about someone, put your name to it if you truly mean it. It’s cowardly to do this.
But, after the Detroit Lions most recent heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts, another person spoke out to the media about Ndamukong Suh and did it on the condition of anonymity; this time it was one of his own teammates.
The player told Yahoo sports this: “Yeah, we’re loaded. But we have a couple of guys who don’t understand what it takes to win. Just making a couple of plays and thinking that makes you great…sometimes you want to just shake some of these guys and say, ‘Don’t you get it?'”
When he was asked to elaborate which players he was talking about he said, “Ndamukong would be first. He’s focused for 90 percent of the time, but it’s the 10 percent that kills you…With (Suh), he loses his cool and all of a sudden we’re blowing a play or dealing with some controversy.”
Even though this player spoke on the condition of anonymity, you can guarantee that this will not go over well in the locker room. This team has already underachieved enormously, going 4-8 through the first 13 weeks of the season. The Lions were thought to be a playoff contender, and yet, they have taken major steps backwards.
Last year, the Lions would only be able to play the 4th quarter, and their last three games, they have fallen apart in the 4th quarter. If you look at the Lions performances, if they had held onto their 4th quarter lead in their last three games, they would be 7-5 and that would be good enough for a wildcard spot right now. I’m not saying that this team would be able to make the playoffs or hold onto a wildcard spot with four games left, but they would certainly be poised to make the playoffs.
This team has far too much talent to be underachieving, and it could be time to look for a coaching change. Especially when you have teammates ripping each other in the locker room. This is an issue that should have been handled internally in a team meeting, and speaking out through the media is the exact opposite of what they should be doing. It’s one thing to fall apart, it’s another to have an undisciplined team that is divided.