Johnson: New Lions teammate Ngata 'like a Suh'

New Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata got props from friend and foe Monday.

"I think, any time you bring those guys in, one with a lot of playoff experience, with rings — those guys won — guys in the locker room gravitate towards those guys," new teammate Calvin Johnson said. "Those guys have been there, so there's a lot that they can teach the guys."

Johnson made his comments in Baltimore — where, coincidentally, Ngata played the first nine seasons of his career for the Ravens — while in town for the Ed Block Courage Awards ceremonies.

Of course, Ngata is penciled in as the replacement for Ndamukong Suh on the Lions' defensive line, and Johnson said he fits the part (via the Baltimore Sun).

"He's a double-team guy," Johnson said of Ngata. "You've got to put two guys on him, because he'll disrupt the whole offensive line. … I definitely consider it like blocking someone like a Suh."

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Tell me about it, said offensive guard Matt Slauson of the rival Chicago Bears.

"Just when I think life was going to get a little easier in our division, with Suh going to the AFC East, things got a whole lot worse: The Lions got Haloti," Slauson said. "As Baltimore fans know, Haloti's a beast. I've been playing against that guy my whole entire career, and he's just ridiculous. So life has not gotten any easier in the NFC North."

Slauson also is a native of Oregon and watched Ngata play for the Ducks. He made his first career NFL start (for the New York Jets in 2010) against Ngata.

"Haloti, he can do it all," Slauson said. "He's a massive wall of a guy, he weighs 350 pounds, but at the same time, he can move like he's 250 if he wants. He can do anything."

Contact Steve Schrader: sschrader@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @schradz.