Suh won't face 'double jeopardy' from Lions

Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell has benched two different starters for violating team rules in the last month, and he sat safety James Ihedigbo for the start of the second half of last weekend's loss to the Green Bay Packers for his play on the field.

But Caldwell said today that defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh won't face any sort of in-game discipline in Sunday's wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys (4:40 p.m., Fox) for his step on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that led to a suspension-turned-fine this week.

"We don't believe in double jeopardy," Caldwell said. "I don't think there's any law in the land that does believe in it. We certainly don't."

Suh was suspended one game for the incident Monday, but an independent arbitrator -- while denying Suh's defense -- repealed the suspension and fined him $70,000 instead.

Suh took two backward steps onto Rodgers' injured left leg after knocking the him to the ground on a fourth-quarter pass attempt.

Teammates stood by Suh in his appeal and welcomed him back to the team Wednesday, and Caldwell said that the all-pro defensive tackle has looked like his normal self in practice this week.

"No different than he's been," Caldwell said. "Tough, hardworking, smart, dedicated. No different."

No love for linemen

Typical, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said of the NFL's treatment of Suh, fining him $70,000 for stepping on Aaron Rodgers.

"This is a fantasy football league," Bennett told espn.com. "He did step on somebody's foot, but he gets fined because it's the quarterback. ...

"If I get knocked to the ground, the referee just steps over me and says, 'That's part of the game.' If Peyton Manning falls to the ground, the referee helps him up. I thought everybody was equal, but that's a lie."

Stafford? Don't ask

So what's the Cowboys' take on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford as they prepare for Sunday's game?

"I don't know what you guys think when we watch film, but I'm not just watching a player," defensive back Orlando Scandrick told the Dallas Morning News. "I'm not sitting there enamored and drooling over a player. ... I need to get ready for what they do offensively and my individual matchup.

"He's a big-armed quarterback, but I can't pinpoint what he does well and what he doesn't do well. I'm not a scout. I'm not here to grade Matthew Stafford."

Well, what about the Lions' game plan, since you faced them last year?

"I would be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what they did last year, besides throw it all around to Calvin Johnson," Scandrick said.

So at least he noticed Johnson's 329 receiving yards that day.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Free Press sports writer Steve Schrader contributed.