NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp had some harsh criticism for Lions defensive tackle 
Sapp said one of the reasons Suh's production dropped from his All-Pro rookie season in 2010 to this year was because Suh didn't improve his craft.
Basically, Sapp implied that Suh didn't work to become a better player this offseason.
"From his first year to second year, he hasn't worked on anything," Sapp said of Suh. "You are looking at the same guy rushing in the same fashion that he was when he first got in the league. I understand that you'll do it your first year because no one has seen it. Second year, you better come show me something, son, you came with the same bull rush."
I'm not in the defensive meeting room or the film room to say definitively if Sapp is completely off base with his comments or not. He's certainly allowed his opinion and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Suh didn't have the same impact that he did as a rookie.
But looking back at Sapp's career stats, you see the same ebb and flow from one year to the next that we saw with Suh the last two seasons.
Sapp knows better than most how difficult it is to generate sacks from the interior defensive line. His ability to do it 96.5 times is one of the reasons he's going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.
But Sapp had five seasons where he recorded five sacks or less.
He had a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2000 and followed that up with six in 2001.
Did Sapp not work hard on his "technique" from 2000 to 2001?
Did he not put in the same time because he was living off his success in 2000?
I would guess the answer to both of those questions is no.
Sapp said Suh didn't develop his game beyond the bull rush that garnered him 10 sacks in 2010 and that was one of the reasons Suh had just four sacks in 2011.
Suh's game wasn't strictly of the bull rush variety this season, which Sapp implied.
And, from what I saw, I agree.
Suh is so incredibly strong and his best move is the bull rush, no doubt. But I'd argue that he wasn't at his best when he didn't bull rush.
What's the old adage? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Defensive ends
The Lions don't care where the sacks come from, as long as they come. Maybe the increase in sacks coming off the edge for the Lions from 2010 to 2011 was a reaction to the Lions' strength up the middle.
Lets not forget the Lions set team records for interceptions and defensive scores this season.
I'd guess that Avril would be he first to credit Suh for helping him attain 11 sacks this season with all the double teams Suh saw.
Sapp also criticized the Lions and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham for not moving Suh around the line more and being creative with him.
That's true. The Lions don't move him around much. At least not as much as the Bucs used to move Sapp around. But that's by design. The Lions' scheme is completely different than the one Sapp ran in Tampa Bay.
Suh lined up in the same spot as a rookie and had 10 sacks.
The Lions defense isn't about trying to make Suh the best player on the field. It's about trying to fit all the right pieces into the bigger picture.
Just a thought.
