I wanna ask an ignorant question about Big V because well, I’m ignorant. Is it possible or even likely that under a new HC, OC, and OL coach and if they change the blocking scheme to his advantage, could he become a usable RT or RG this year. I’m not asking if he’ll be worth his pay, but rather worth keeping and usable giving the expense to release him.
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We have the same OLine coach but I get your question.
I think the best hope is that injuries were limiting him last year even when he was on the field. Hopefully a healthy big V is an improved big V.
That is the hope. Either that, or it was a Hall of Fame blunder by BQ to sign him, with perhaps an entire wing devoted to the miscalculation and blindness involved. I mean, could any GM be that far off?
There’s a story about Tallulah Bankhead, where she’s on an elevator by herself and rips a fart. Someone gets on at the next floor and asks, “Madam, did you pass wind?” She said, “Good God, do you think I smell like this all the time?”
“He of many vowels” can’t be that bad again. And if so, our O line may not need any help at all this year.
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There are no such things as ignorant questions, only ignorant people who ask questions.
-Chris Berman
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We can only hope, time will tell though.
Great quote.
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Coach Campbell keeps saying this staff is going to coach players to be better. Well, they got their work cut out for them with Big V
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He actually said “stupid”
“There are no such things as stupid questions, only stupid people who ask questions.”
I just modify it, when it is applicable. It was on their Bristol University commercials, back in the day.
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He had a run grade of 76.2 in 2019 so I do believe there is a chance he can have a good season, especially when you figure we look to be a run oriented offense.
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He was injured last year, so there’s that. It’s not just possible that he’ll be better this year, it’s likely.
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The thing is the Lions are stuck with Big V this year because of his contract, so if he’s healthy and back with the same coach for year 2 - you’d hope he could at least handle the starting right guard job. The Lions are set on the left side, and then with V at right guard… that would mean you’d have Crosby and whomever the new staff brings in at RT competing for that job. That sets the team up to have a pretty solid OL overall.
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He can run block, but really struggled to pass block, especially at guard.
My plan, if we cannot move on from Vaitai financially, is to treat him like a backup, because that is what he looked like at both RT and RG. Yes it may have been totally injury. But I think “assuming” he’s really this good starter, would be very foolish. I’m curious about what we have in Nelson and Logan Stenberg our 4th round pick last year. He’s a similar player to Forrest Lamp also out of Kentucky who played for Lynn at LAC. More of a road grader that isn’t going to be successful going student body left and right all game in an outside zone scheme. Depends on what we do, but from an attitude standpoint, MCD and Stenberg are proverbial peas in a pod.
In most of my mock sims I end up with a starting level RT and a developmental OG. But I also usually trade down a couple times so I have more picks to play with. Its a big benefit IMO that Fraley was retained, as he will know exactly what we have and pass that intel to the FO.
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Stenberg was a serious road grader in college. Put on his tape from college and that dude mauls people. He was also famous for personal fouls and 15 yard penalties in college. The thing is Kentucky ran the ball most of the time, Stenberg needs a lot of work in pass blocking. Really Stenberg and Vatai are similar in that they can both run bock well, but both struggle with pass pro, and that’s a problem in the nfl, especially if you are playing from behind a lot and forced to pass the ball.
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Yep. Fraley has had him for a year now, so he’ll have the pulse on that.
Ditto. Don’t bank on him being anything more than that. If I could walk away from this draft with Slater and Deonte Brown with 2 of my top 3 picks, I would.
I recall Eagles fans & Philly media laughing like hell & mocking Lions management for signing Vaitai.
The Eagles certainly had a great season without him, lol.
At least the Lions purged their FO, unlike Eagles who still retained their inept GM.
It’s still worrisome that Logan couldn’t get a single snap with the revolving door we had at right guard.