Henry Melton. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(WSCR) Under head coach Jim Schwartz, the Lions have earned the reputation of being a dirty, undisciplined team around the league.
And the Bears have noticed, too.
“Dirty. They’re dirty,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton said of the Lions. “They’ve always been a dirty team since I’ve been here. I don’t like them. They’re going to be looking for cheap shots and all that mess, just have to hold our composure and play the game we know.”
When asked to elaborate, Melton said the proof is on the film.
“They just try to do all this extra stuff, talking little cheap shots,” he said. “If you look at the tape, they’ve always thrown cheap shots, we had a brawl last year. It is what it is. I’m ready.”
The “brawl” Melton is referring to occurred last season after Bears nickel cornerback D.J. Moore threw Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to the ground by his helmet. Moore was ejected and fined $15,000. Stafford received a $7,500 fine for his role.
What’s interesting about Melton’s comments is it’s usually the Lions defense that is considered dirty, with players like Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Melton, however, said the team is even dirty on offense, taking a special exception to the antics of veteran center Dominic Raiola.
“He’s old and he just talks. He’s more just cuss words, bad language,” Melton said. “Then he’ll throw some cheap shots in there and then he’ll say some bad words.”
