I don't need to tell you how impressive Ndamukong Suh's rookie season with the Detroit Lions was. The AP All-Pro selection and awards honoring him for being rookie of the year speak for themselves, as do his impressive stats. Guys like him don't come along very often, making such a big impact in only their first year in the NFL.
Suh's season was quite amazing, to say the least, so how could it now look even better? In an interview with the Portland Tribune, Suh shared that the shoulder he recently had surgery on was originally injured at the end of his senior season at Nebraska. That means he played through the injured shoulder during all of the 2010 season and had a Pro-Bowl caliber year in spite of the ailment.
“I hurt it at the end of my senior year at Nebraska,” Suh says. “Funny, it didn’t really affect me. Something didn’t feel right, but it wasn’t that big a deal. I just continued to play.”
Suh's right shoulder was operated on earlier this month so he can start getting ready to go to work this offseason. Not only will a healthy shoulder potentially allow him to be even more of a force on defense next season, but he personally feels like he still has a long way to go to reach his potential.
“I played pretty well,” he says. “I’m not satisfied by any means. I left a good amount of plays out there I know I could have made, especially late in the season.
If the Lions had 52 other guys that were like Suh just from an attitude standpoint, they would rarely lose a game. After doing so many great things in his rookie season Suh could easily lose his edge and coast on the talent he has right now, but he wants to continue working hard to get even better. You have to love that line of thinking.