Greetings from the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Courtesy of Subway's NFL efforts, I was able to speak with Detroit Loins DT Ndamukong Suh on Wednesday. Fans in Kansas City may know him better as Nebraska Cornhuskers DT Ndamukong Suh.
I sat down with Suh for a few minutes talking about his time at Super Bowl week, at the Pro Bowl last week and of course about his Nebraska Cornhuskers.
"I think Nebraska is a great place to play college football," Suh told me. Obviously as the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft Suh doesn't have any bad things to say about his experience at Nebraska.
I did ask him about Bo Pelini and the reputation he has as a coach that screams on the sidelines. Seen as a negative by some, Suh recalled that as Pelini's "fire" but in a positive way.
"It's very unique and I think you're lucky to have a great coach like that," he said. "One that's really all about you and your team. The reason why he has that fire is because he cares about you and the best interests in your life. I think that's what that university needed to make that change and get the staff up there that he had."
Suh says he does still keep in touch with Pelini and plans to meet with him soon.
"I actually talked to him the other day -- he was recruiting," he said. "You would think he would move on from players that have left the university but he keeps those relationships going. I'm actually going back soon to have dinner with him."
What surprised me about Suh is that he's soft-spoken and very polite. Not that I didn't expect him to be a nice guy but you see him on TV punishing quarterbacks and offensive linemen and you're a bit taken back when this huge guy is soft-spoken and asking how you're doing.
I can see why Pelini recruited him and the success he's had in the NFL is evidence of that. (A reader pointed out my mistake -- Suh was actually recruited by Bill Callahan's staff.)