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- Why exactly did the NFL decide to fine Ndamukong Suh $31,500 for a hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden? Via the Free Press, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said this on Wednesday night:
"When I looked at the play, I felt that he did make contact with the forehead-hairline," Blandino said. "Lowered the head and made contact with the forehead-hairline. Not with the head or neck, but the rule does prohibit that contact with the body."
As I said on Wednesday, if that hit is truly worthy of a fine, then the NFL should just get rid of hitting now and stop the charade that this is still football. (And if Blandino really wanted to be honest, his answer to the question posed in the headline should have been: "Because he's Ndamukong Suh.")
- Granted, this was before news of his fine came out, but Suh had a pretty good sense of humor about the whole situation.
Ndamukong Suh on life not always being fair: "It’s just like for me, I wanted a Nintendo 64 when I was little. My mom said no."
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) October 16, 2013
- As noted by Daniel Jeremiah, four of the Detroit Lions' next six games are at home. After going 4-2 in their first six games, four of which were on the road, the Lions will have several upcoming opportunities to pad their record at the friendly confines of Ford Field.
- They will be enemies on Sunday, but there is some definite friendliness between the Lions and Cincinnati Bengals. Calvin Johnson apparently worked out with Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green this past offseason, and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis thinks Johnson has been a "great mentor" to Green. What's more, Lewis and Jim Schwartz are still pretty good friends after coaching together in Baltimore years ago.
- Oh, hello:
Lions rookie guard Larry Warford leads the position with a Pass Blocking Efficiency of 99.1
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 15, 2013
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"Sam Martin and Joseph Fauria debate things" needs to become a TV show or at least a podcast.
- Peter King did a story on Fauria this week.
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Josh Freeman is going to start at quarterback on Monday night in the Minnesota Vikings' game at the New York Giants. That game, by the way, will be the first meeting between the Vikings and Giants since they played at Ford Field on a Monday night in 2010.
- The NFL has denied a report that they are considering adding additional Thursday night games (in the form of doubleheaders) in the future. I'm glad, because I can't say I'm a fan of Thursday night games.
- Stefan Logan is back with the Lions -- the CFL's BC Lions, that is.