Detroit Lions' defensive linemen won't make any apologies for aggressive play

kyle-vandenbosh-29.jpgDetroit's Kyle Vanden Bosch says the Lions aren't paying attention to an outside criticism of their play.
ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions defensive line does not care about outside opinions.

No amount of criticism is going to stop the linemen from attacking opposing quarterbacks. They do not give a second thought to people who accuse them of playing dirty. There are not enough yellow flags that can be thrown to curtail their angry attitudes.

"We don't really care what other people say," Detroit defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "We get paid to hit people. We're going to continue to do that, and do it as hard as we can."

Detroit's defensive line will take its "angry worker" mentality into Denver (2-4) with hopes of doing what it does best.

Disregarding what anybody outside its organization thinks.

"I don't really care what anybody else says," Lions defensive end Cliff Avril said. "As long as the coaches and people upstairs are happy with the way we're playing, that's all that matters. What the outside offensive players say really doesn't matter. The defensive coaches around the league see what we're doing and they understand."

Teams across the NFL might understand what Detroit is all about.

It just does not mean every team is a fan.

Detroit (5-2) gained national attention for its aggressive play against Atlanta last week. While Atlanta won the game 23-16, Detroit claimed notoriety for arguably taking its aggressiveness too far.

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was accused of taunting Atlanta's Matt Ryan by Falcons players after the quarterback sustained a knee injury. Falcons players also accused Avril of kicking Ryan's knee when he was down, although there was no evidence to prove it.

When asked about Atlanta's allegations the following day, Suh was defensive.

"If you look at it, to me, it's karma ... for all the bad stuff they've done in the past, their offensive linemen hurt their own quarterback," Suh said. "So I'll leave it at that."

Suh unquestionably is the leader of Detroit's swagger this season.

He has faced allegations of playing dirty and has been fined three times by the NFL for hits on quarterbacks. Suh was fined $20,000 for his preseason slam of Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. In addition, former NFL coach Tony Dungy criticized Suh and said he needed to alter his style of play.

Suh has been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, roughing the passer and a face mask this season, but coach Jim Schwartz does not want any of his players to tone down their aggressiveness.

"We've been pushed around for too long," Schwartz said. "What others say, well, we certainly don't want to get penalties. We want to play smart football. There's a difference between aggressive penalties that you can't really do much about.

"Vanden Bosch's hit on (Ryan). Suh's face mask on (Ryan). (Suh) makes a move, puts his hand out, the guy ducks and he ends up with a face mask. He doesn't twist him around or throw him on the ground. You live with them, but we're more worried about what our guys think. We're not too much worried about what everybody else thinks about us."

Detroit's defensive lineman do not think they are doing anything wrong.

"We definitely take pride in being physical and being fast," Avril said. "I think that's the biggest thing. We get everybody to the ball, from the d-line to the corners and safeties. We all want to get to the ball as quick as possible. We pride ourselves on that more than anything.

"I think we play between the whistles more so than anything. I don't think we go out and try to do extra stuff. I just think we try to play the game the way it's supposed to be played, which is physical and fast. We just like getting to the quarterback and getting to the ball carrier."

If critics do not like it, guess what?

Detroit's defensive line does not care. ﻿