Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is hoping to shed his reputation as a "dirty" player, but if his peers' votes are any indication he has a long way to go as an anonymous ESPN poll of 320 NFL players revealed that Suh is the most feared player in the NFL--whether it be for his physical play or for players perceiving him as dirty.
Suh led the way with 61 of the votes (19 percent) from the 320 anonymous NFL players, ESPN reports while his teammate Calvin Johnson received 58 votes. The report states that no other players received more than 30 votes and 48 different players had at least one vote.
"If it's feared from the context of they don't want to play against me and they are worried about how I may affect the game and affect the offense, it's definitely appreciated," Suh told ESPN. "It's definitely seen as a plus and a positive. Guys have respect for you, just like guys have respect for Calvin."
Suh said he was shocked that he beat out his teammate.
"I'm surprised I edged him out but, hopefully, I don't have to edge him out and we can just be co-winners. I prefer that."
Suh has made it a mission to get over his reputation as a dirty player, but the fines have stacked up on the defensive tackle making it hard for him to shed that characteristic for himself.
Johnson is one of the most praised players in the NFL and probably appeared on top of the list for different reasons than Suh. Johnson said he recognizes when other teams try to change their schemes because of him.
"I can tell sometimes," Johnson told ESPN about teams changing up the schemes to stop him, "when they are trying to, especially when teams want to bring like one of their linemen or linebackers and put them way outside the numbers to try and get hands on me at the line of scrimmage, when they've got a corner out here and a safety over the top. So I'm like, 'Man, let's run the ball. Shoot, got a favorable box."
Johnson received his inclusion on the most feared list as a compliment.
"Well, the fact that you're doing something right and that you're doing it consistently," Johnson said per ESPN. "You can't be inconsistent and teams game plan and scheme for you. So I just enjoy the fact that I'm doing it on a consistent basis."
The Lions (7-9) missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, despite having two of the most feared players in the NFL on their team.
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