The secret is out: Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh has an affinity for making NFL quarterbacks' lives miserable.
The league has met with Suh, going over the dos and don'ts on how to attack a quarterback. Suh listened, acknowledged the fact that he's an incredibly quarterback-hungry hunter and moved on.
He can be fined, talked to, it doesn't matter. Suh will be Suh and continue his rampant pace throughout what promises to be an All-Pro career.
So, here we are, pondering Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, who have quarterback Jay Cutler under-center.
Cutler has proven his toughness this year after having it questioned last year in the NFC playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. But is he tough enough to take on Suh -- again?
"He's a guy that's gone through a lot," Suh said prior to Week 5. "He's definitely kept his composure. But when you have a quarterback back there and he's repeatedly getting hit -- every single play or every other play -- it's definitely gonna have some effect on him. And it's gonna affect their team, his demeanor, and how they carry their offense.
"So I think the biggest thing for us is to make sure we're in his face and hitting him as much as we can."
If you go back to last year, "The Push/Punch" made headlines. Suh tracked Cutler down like a bloodhound, using his elbow to shove Cutler to the ground. Suh was fined $15,000 for the hit.
And Cutler didn't dispute the dirty-hit assessment, despite its controversial nature, by saying "I'm not surprised by that one," in reference to the fine.
I'm not suggesting that Suh will be out for Cutler's head, but admit it: Suh probably wouldn't mind going after Cutler for old times sake. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that happen, either. As long as it's clean, I'm all for it.
Despite their "relationship," Suh has sacked Cutler just once in two years. Suh had four tackles against the Bears in Week 5, and if I remember correctly, one came after he caught Cutler running. It wasn't a sack, because Cutler advanced past the line of scrimmage. Correct me if I'm wrong, please. But I distinctly remember that happening.
Suh's abilities have been a hot topic -- labeled an "underachiever" -- this year, although, statistically, he's had a good season. With 24 tackles, Suh is among top defensive tackles in that category. However, while being double- and triple-teamed, Suh allows linebackers Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy to be among league leaders by drawing attention and creating mismatches.
Part of me wants to believe that won't make a difference Sunday. Maybe I'm trumping up Suh's desire to get to Cutler. Maybe I'm just being a "fan," wanting to see one of the top athletes in Lions history reign triumphantly over Cutler.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of Cutler. For the record, I don't have an opinion of him.
Here's the skinny: Cutler is the fifth-most sacked quarterback in the NFL, falling victim to defenders behind the line of scrimmage 21 times, only five less times than Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger.
Without going into some deep analysis, that shows that the Bears offensive line has trouble protecting Cutler. Whether it's due to Cutler taking too much time to throw the ball, being chased out of the pocket -- I don't know. I haven't watched enough of the Bears to make that assessment.
But here's what I do know: Suh is nasty. He's a monster. And I just don't think Cutler stands much of a chance. We might see another push, or we might see Suh attempt to spin Cutler's head off like a bottle top.
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