If there is one thing Joe Greene knows, it is how to play tough defense. He did not earn that nickname of "Mean Joe Greene" for nothing. He understands that in order to help a defense and get team wins, playing with aggression is key. If there is one play that garners comparisons to Greene right now in the league, it is Detroit Lions' defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Having face a high amount of criticism for his style of play, Greene says he supports the type of player Suh has become.
Suh has become more known for his history of fines from the NFL, suspensions and being an all-around dirty player on defense. That has overshadowed the amount of talent he contains and his ability to help the Detroit defense. Greene believes Suh should not listen to the media and those that criticize him for what he does.
"He is a powerful man. Unfortunately for him is that he's letting some of this notoriety and publicity get in his head a little bit. By that I mean it changes the way he approaches the game, cause if he changes that he's not Ndamukong anymore. And you need an edge to play in the pit. Anybody that talks about what you shouldn't do hasn't been in there," Greene said to the Detroit Free Press.
Greene believes that Suh must continue to play the way he does, but be careful to not go over the edge. Suh has definitely gone over that edge a few times, but Greene said that he should not be afraid of that. Greene remains very critical of the media in regards to Suh. He does not think they understand what it takes to play on a defensive line in the NFL.
"I know that when the public gets involved and the talking heads get involved and they talk about something they don't have any idea about-it's nice and air conditioned where they're sittings. So he can't led other voices dictate how he plays," Greene said.
Teammate Nick Fairley is certainly hoping that Suh keeps those voices out of his head. He recently spoke a lot of praise for the defensive tandem that he and Suh have become. He believes the two make up the best defensive tackle system in the NFL.
"Of course. We're going to give guys trouble, man. It's like pick your poison this year with our defensive line. You cannot come in and double-team Ndamukong and you can't come in and double-team me," Fairley said.
He might have a point with the recent acquisitions the Lions made in the offseason. Not it just remains to be seen if his Super Bowl prediction holds true.
