Lions: Ndamukong Suh hits back at 49ers' Joe Staley over Week 2 criticism

Lions DT Ndamukong Suh didn't take it well when 49ers LT Joe Staley said the Lions D-line was overrated and the team played dirty. (US Presswire)

For a player whose reputation is built around terrorizing quarterbacks, Lions DT Ndamukong Suh carries himself in an almost unnervingly quiet and soft-spoken manner off the field.

Criticize his teammates, however, and all bets are off.

Suh was irritated when he was asked Wednesday about the comments of 49ers LT Joe Staley, who said the Lions D-line was overrated after San Francisco's Week 2 win over Detroit.

“People are going to say what they want to say,” Suh said. "Especially, I mean, you get a win, feel like you can talk, great for you. That doesn't really mean [expletive] to me.”

Staley and other members of the San Francisco offensive line have also criticized Detroit for what they called dirty play during the teams' meeting Sunday night.

"Look at the game," Staley told CSN Bay Area. "We killed them. Up front, they like to pride themselves on being cheap after the play. They think they're physical because they do that."

Suh says he's puzzled by Staley's characterization of what he believes is simply a tough, physical defensive unit.

“I find [criticism of the D-line] very interesting and laughable sometimes, but it's not my concern,” he said. “I don't go against [Staley]. The times that I have, I've never had an issue with him. If he has an issue with me, he knows where to find me.”

While Suh was quick to defend the D-line against Staley's character attack, he wasn't willing to concede that his 2.5 sacks in Detroit's first two games represent a better level of play than he was able to produce last season when he was held to just four sacks all year.

“To me, if anything, I'm at where I'm supposed to be, or below,” he said. “There's still … things that I can see on the film that I've got to be able to adjust and make more plays… So there's still a lot of growth left.”

Suh also dismissed rumors that he's dating Olympic track and field star LoLo Jones, who reportedly attended Detroit's regular-season opener at Ford Field.

“That's funny,” he said. “Real funny. Just like Joe Staley's comments.”

Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSLions and @JohnKreger.