Dominic Raiola calls Bears' Henry Melton a 'clown'

The Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears have developed an unfriendly relationship over the past few years, but Lions center Dominic Raiola is now particularly peeved with Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton heading into the Week 17 matchup. Melton called the Lions "dirty" and "cheap" earlier in the week, but he also singled out Raiola adding: "He's old and he just talks. He's more just cuss words, bad language."

Raiola couldn't help but respond to Melton's remarks, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was there to record Raiola's thoughts:

"You got a defense full of superstars, and you don't hear from the guys that carry weight in my book. (Brian) Urlacher, (Lance) Briggs, (Charles) Tillman, (Israel) Idonije, older guys. (Julius) Peppers. The guys that have been there. We're talking about guys who carry weight. This guy? Not in my book."

"I mean, this guy, he made it to the Pro Bowl?" Raiola said. "This guy made the Pro Bowl? (Over) Kevin Williams, who worked through injuries all year? (Over) Suh, who's a better player than this guy? Come on."

As a final note, the veteran offensive lineman had this to say of Melton: "In my book, he's a clown. That's all I got."

Melton earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster earlier this week, so he decided to talk the talk only after walking the walk. The Bears need a win over the Lions in Week 17 to keep their playoff hopes alive -- they also need Green Bay to beat Minnesota -- and it will be interesting to see what happens when Raiola and Melton line up across from each other this weekend.