Suh Named Game Captain; Caldwell Explains Suh's Leadership Style
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) - The captains for the Detroit Lions in this week's game against the Carolina Panthers will be defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and long snapper Don Muhlbach.
Suh, whom the team voted a captain last season, received a great deal of scrutiny over the offseason because he opted to train on his own rather than participate in all of the voluntary workouts with his teammates at the Lions practice facility in Allen Park.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell still considers Suh a leader, however, because of the way he approaches his job.
"Number one is that he does what we ask of him," Caldwell said. "He does everything in regard to what the rules require. I know often times that people get hung up on when he was here, when he wasn't here and all that kind of stuff. He wasn't required to be here ... It is voluntary. It's not mandatory. If it was a guy that I had to be really concerned about that was away from here that would come back out of shape and certainly not in position to be able to function - [but] this guy comes back in impeccable shape - impeccable shape.
"Does all the things you ask him to do when he's in this building," Caldwell continued. "He's exemplary in every fashion. Plays the game hard and tough, and his teammates respect him as a result of that, and I think obviously so does the rest of the staff as well, and I think most often that anybody that plays against him also has a pretty good measure of respect for what he's able to do on the field."
Suh may not be much of a vocal leader, but Caldwell said he prefers players who lead by example anyway.
"We don't have a whole lot of vocal guys, which I kind of like," Caldwell said. "The rah-rah guys, the guys that make a lot of noise, running around, yelling and that kind of stuff, typically that stuff wears off at a certain point in time. I like the guys that do it, and he's one of those guys. He doesn't have to say a whole lot. Most often, your best leaders, what's that old saying? 'Lead by example; when all else fails, use words.' That's what I believe in."
