Ndamukong Suh has the reputation of being one of the dirtiest players in the NFL. He’s known for stomping on his oppoents. 

 A 2012 Forbes poll even identified him as the league’s least-liked player, with a 19 percent appeal rating.

Now he’s doing some self reflecting as he’s playing in the biggest game of his career this Sunday. 

“People probably look at me as an evil person, or whatever you may want to say, but I’m a human being,” he said. “To people that truly know me, I’m a teddy bear, especially off the field. I don’t typically cry or have outburst emotions, but I am an emotional person and I wear my heart on my sleeve and my emotions on my sleeve, without question.”

Looks like Suh has been playing his best as of late. 

“Ndamukong not only had two good back-to-back games, but two great back-to-back games,” said Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. “We’re used to seeing him play well, but these last two have been his best. It was just me getting used to what he wants to do and him getting used to what we want him to do. He’s finally put it all together. He’s a great talent and he’s certainly shown it. Look at the two teams we played. They (Dallas and New Orleans) were great running teams. Neither one of them made (more than) 50 yards rushing.”

You don’t have to listen long to hear the word “legacy” being used among Rams players this week.

Coach Sean McVay has talked about it with the players, and the players have discussed it among themselves. 

Legacies are important. 

Former Lions GM Martin Mayhew, now an executive with the 49ers, drafted Suh in Detroit. When asked what this moment means to the player, he said, “Everything.”

He added: “He’s got the money, he’s got the status, and the last thing left for him to kind of solidify his legacy as one of the great players in this league, at his position, is a championship. That’s what he really wants. He knows the importance of this, and he knows how rare these opportunities are, based on what he’s been through in the past. He knows what’s at stake, and I think he wants to be a Hall of Famer and have a legacy in this league that lives beyond his time as a player. I think he knows this is what it takes for him to have that.”

A Superbowl win will definitely help Suh reshape his image. 

Not that he’s too worried about that. 

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