The Lions lost defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and traded for defensive tackle Haloti Ngata at the start of the league year, but Ngata says those two moves shouldn’t be viewed in tandem.
According to Ngata, the people who say he was brought in to replace Suh don’t really understand their roles in the Lions’ defense, and Ngata won’t actually do the same things that Suh did.
“That’s what people are just going to say. Going from one great player to another, people are automatically just going to say it. For me, I just think we’re totally different players. We’ve always been. He’s made Pro Bowls, and I have, too. Hopefully I can continue to help this team win,” Ngata told Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com. “They’re going to see how I play. We’re definitely just different body types. I weigh a little bit more than he does, and so we’re just going to have to roll with whatever happens in the season.”
Although Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was a Ravens assistant for part of Ngata’s time in Baltimore, Austin’s defense won’t necessarily call on Ngata to play the same way he played as a Raven.
“I’m not reading offensive linemen as often anymore,” Ngata said. “I’m not mirror-stepping with them; I’m not two-gapping as much. It’s basically trying to teach a new guy new technique. So it’s been different. Right now, it feels pretty good and hopefully I can get better and better in it.”
So Ngata will be different from the player he was as a Raven, and different from Suh. The Lions just hope Ngata is as good in Detroit as he was in Baltimore.