In the past the biggest story for the Detroit Lions this time of year was Ndamukong Suh’s inevitable no-show at voluntary offseason workout programs. Critics would be up in arms every year intimating the Suh’s lack of attendance in voluntary team activities demonstrated a general indifference toward the team.

Suh supporters would say that his absence from these activities should not cause alarm because of his private offseason workout routine with his own personal trainers.

While it is true the Ndamukong Suh always showed up to training camp in shape and ready to play, it seems his unwillingness to attend voluntary activities was an effort on his part to keep a separation between him and his teammates. If there was an effort by Suh to keep everybody at arms length in Detroit, that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case in Miami.

Via The Miami Herald

One of the recurring frustrations for the Detroit Lions while Ndamukong Suh was with that team was his penchant for skipping the offseason program. He preferred to stay home and work out with a personal trainer.

His preferences have changed, apparently.

I’m told Suh is present and accounted for on the first day of the Miami Dolphins offseason program on Monday. So not only is he attending, which he rarely did in Detroit, but he’s in for Day One.

This may seem like kicking a dead horse but it raises some interesting questions related to the Detroit Lions relationship with Ndamukong Suh. Questions made even more relevent after the departure of the all-pro defensive tackle during free agency.

Did Detroit have a different “secret standard” for Ndamukong Suh that caused the Lions to overlook his absence at voluntary workouts? Was Suh just rising to the low expectations conveyed by Lions management? Was Martin Mayhew and company purposefully making Ndamukong Suh look like the bad guy by not communicating their specific expectations of Ndmaukong Suh to the Lions fanbase?

It is easy to imagine a lack of communication of occurring between the Lions management and Suh considering neither have a history of being master communicators. It is also easy to imagine a player feeling alienated after staking heat for something that may have been condoned by the organization.

We will never know whether any of this lead to the eventual departure of Suh to the Miami Dolphins. It is easy to see however that Suh wants to develop a closer relationship with his new team.