Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is getting called out for his reaction to an alleged kick by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the first quarter of their Divisional Round matchup.
Suh was flagged after the play following what officials deemed to be "taunting." A decision that Suh was visibly frustrated about as he remonstrated with the referee. The penalty ultimately led to a touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Kendall Blanton six plays later.
Fans were not letting it slide as the defensive lineman has a history of dirty plays in his 12-year career.
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NFL Fans React to the words of Ndamukong Suh
Independent NFL reporter Dov Kleiman shared a video in which Suh said, "You see him kick me?" as the referee announced the taunting penalty.
George Ahern said that Suh getting upset over an accused kick is "hysterically ironic."
Añdy Ogburn says “Did you see him kick me” is never going to go well for Ndamukong Suh, seemingly alluding to the defensive tackle's own history of violent acts on the football field.
Ryan notes that if a player kicks Ndamukong Suh then taunting should be expected at the very least.
Award-winning reporter Kelsey Nicole Nelson added asserted that fans watching at home saw Stafford kick out Suh, but apparently the game officials did not.
Again alluding to Suh's prior acts, Connor Kalinock sarcastically said he could not believe "career serial cheap shot artist" Matthew Stafford would maliciously kick a "poor innocent" Ndamukong Suh in such a manner.
ESPN Radio host Mike Golic Jr. made use of a meme, saying Stafford looked up at Suh accusing him of kicking and said he learned it by watching you:
The Fake Ned had a more cautious take on Stafford's actions, suggesting that he would not even "pretend" to kick the 313 pound former first round pick.
Jordan Mountkatzle says he hasn't seen Suh this upset about a kick since the 2009 Big 12 title game. For context, Suh's Nebraska Cornhuskers went down to the Texas Longhorns courtesy of a game-winning field goal kick.
Monika Lucas says Stafford can kick Suh …. But Brady gets the penalty?!? It is looking a referee’s game ! What is going on?:
Ndamukong Suh and his flagrant plays
As a player for the Detroit Lions in the Thanksgiving game during the 2011 season, Suh shoved the head of then-Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith into the turf on multiple occasions prior to stomping on his arm. Suh was disqualified from the Week 12 game and was suspended for two games for the incident.
In another Thanksgiving game, Suh kicked Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin region in the Week 12 game. His actions led to a $30,000 fine. The five-time Pro Bowler contested that the kick was unintentional, asserting that his leg moved en route to Schaub as he was being dragged to the field.
Suh received a $100,000 fine following Week 1 of the 2013 season, the biggest fine for on-field behavior in league history. It came after Suh gave a low block to former Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan in the course of an interception return by the Lions. The action invalidated the touchdown and his appeal of the fine was turned down.
That year Suh was issued a fine for a debatable tackle on Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, but the fine was later retracted upon appeal. However, Suh was fined later that season for making a "throat-slashing motion" against the Buccaneers in Week 12.
Since joining Tampa Bay in 2019, Suh has 14.5 sacks and 6 sacks in each of his last two years. He also has 112 tackles and a forced fumble in his time at Tampa Bay. Despite having a good resurgence with Tampa Bay, the play with Stafford rekindles memories of his dirty plays with Detroit.
Suh and Stafford were teammates for five years (2010 to 2014 NFL seasons) but that didn’t result in Suh holding back against his opposing quarterback in the game. As the adage goes, old habits die hard and it looks to be the case with the 35-year-old defensive lineman.
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