Ndamukong Suh. Aggressive or dirty?

While briefly watching the Detroit Loins' game last night, I saw Suh, a defensive lineman, pick up the opposing quarterback and slam him to the turf. This was after the QB had already thrown the ball. Suh knew that.

It was dirty and an obvious attempt to seriously injure another player.

Granted, there's a fine line involved here. Running backs and receivers are going to get hit hard when they have the ball. Linemen engage on every play and beat the snot out of each other. Kickoff and punt returners have to deal with the kamikaze squad coming down field at them. Vicious hits, blocks, and tackles abound. It's the nature of the game.

Yet there comes a time when the inmates of the asylum need to abide by a few rules, to guarantee their OWN survival. That's why the refs throw flags for "personal fouls". It normally involves something a player did to an opponent that was unnecessary in the flow of the game and, more importantly, a deliberate attempt to injure.

This is not Suh's first infraction. In his short career, he's pulled a few other nasty stunts along the way. Yes, the local Detroit sports media and most Lion fans will chalk it up to aggressiveness, but it's not. It's dirty.

What usually happens to dirty players? In baseball, if a pitcher plunks a hitter, and it's deemed intentional -- you can pretty well count on somebody on that pitcher's team getting a fastball in the ribs by the opposing pitcher. Hockey? Send a goon after our star player and we'll send a goon after yours. NASCAR? If you wrecked me, I'm going to find a way to wreck you in a future race. Such is the way it goes.

People with their own biases can rationalize just about anything, but at the end of the day, the "players" know what's going on.

Other players and coaches around the NFL are well aware of Suh and his occasional shady tactics. Even if they weren't directly involved -- they have film on everything. Don't think for a minute they don't know what he's done.

If he keeps it up, don't be surprised if a payback comes around. All it takes is two offensive linemen with an attitude. One guy holds him up and the other throws 300 lbs. into one of his knees.

Yep, that would be a personal foul. Chop block. The ref would throw his flag and a 15 yard penalty would be assessed.

But Suh would still be heading to the OR so they could put him back together again.

Here's hoping he sees the error of his ways sometime soon.

If not, he might have to learn the hard way that those other guys are trying to make a living too, are just as tough as he is, and they have a way of evening things out in the long run.

Ndamukong needs to quit with the dirty stuff or else, as Johnny Cash once sang, he'll find out life can be rough in the NFL for a boy named Suh.

Or something like that. Close enough.