The word got back to Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. He'd heard that fans were complaining that he did not support teammates because he was not showing up for voluntary workouts at Detroit Country Day High School. Suh believed it wasn't necessary to be there, since he was working out elsewhere.

But Suh did return and joined teammates Friday at Detroit Country Day. It might have been about show more than substance, but Suh changed his stance and decided he needed to join teammates.

Suh heard all the snickers when he said the Lions were capable of going 16-0 in 2011. He first made that proclamation on the NFL Network, but weeks later he is not backing down from high expectations.

"Like I said before, we can go 16-0," Suh said. "One of the reasons I'm saying this is because we should shoot for the top. And if you don't want to be a Super Bowl team, what are you playing for? If you are satisfied with winning games and just making the playoffs, I think you should expect more. There is more to just playing and trying to win games. That is my mentality and that is my approach. We should come in with the attitude of the sky is the limit and we want to be the best."

Suh is excited for 2011. That's why he works out every day in his hometown of Portland and it is why he hopes for an end to the NFL lockout, which has already wiped out some organized training and threatens training camp and the season.

Suh led all rookie defensive tackles with 10 sacks last season and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Now he's ready to start accumulating team awards.

Suh loved the Lions' new draft picks that have been added to a team he believed to be pretty good in the first place. The Lions finished 6-10 last season, but won their last four games without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. They became a different team when a once-porous defense became sound.

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