Lions' Ndamukong Suh A Big Task For Jets

The New York Jets know they will have their hands full with Detroit rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on Sunday.

Suh lines up at a variety of positions across Detroit's defensive line, but usually at right tackle. That means Brandon Moore, the Jets right guard, will have his hands full.

"Of course you look forward to playing the best guys, the guys in this league that people consider to be top-tier guy," Moore said. "You think you're pretty good, so to be able to go up against those guys and challenge yourself and see how you perform against those guys is definitely something you look forward to."

Moore has quietly carved himself a terrific career since being signed as an undrafted free agent — a converted defensive tackle — in 2002 and being a consistent but quiet presence on the touted line of the Jets (5-2).

"When you come in at this level, this is a man's game here," Ryan said. "(Suh) is going against men and he's still doing a great job. With this matchup this week, I think Brandon Moore is the finest guard in football, so this is going to be a great matchup to watch with those two."

Moore has spent plenty of time this week watching Suh on film, studying his moves and tendencies.

"He's making plays, so of course, he doesn't look like a rookie," Moore said. "He's a grown man. That's why they drafted him so high. He makes plays."

Gang Green Nation sees the Moore-Suh matchup as one of the keys to the 5-2 Jets taking care of business Sunday against the 2-5 Lions.

The strength of the Jets' offensive line is the capabilty of all five guys to win matchups against the best the league has to offer without needing help. A guy like Suh usually either causes disruption or draws a double team, forcing a defense to use up a extra blocker, which means that second guy isn't blocking somebody else. A defender gets freed up in this numbers game. The Jets largely avoid this. This week's burden falls to Moore. The way he handles Suh could go a long way to determining whether this game is more difficult than the conventional wisdom dictates.

Suh was the second overall pick in the April draft. His 6.5 sacks leads NFL rookies, and he also has a fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception this season.

"I can't remember a rookie defensive lineman coming in and having that kind of impact," Jets coach Rex Ryan said.

Moore and the Jets other linemen will do everything they can to limit that impact on Sunday.