Jump to content

Lions sign OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai (5 year, $50 M)


RaidersAreOne

Recommended Posts

The details in the contract could change my opinion but I’m not a fan.  Granted I’m not overly familiar with the player but this reeks of ( and I actually really hate this term) smartest guy in the room syndrome.  Highly unlikely that anyone else was offering him anywhere near this good of a deal.  If memory serves me correct this guy was the Eagles 4th tackle going into the season before injuries.  They drafted a tackle in the 1st last year likely because they didn’t trust him as there future starting tackle after moving on from Peters or possibly even as there immediate swing tackle.  I’d think at the least we could have waited, this isn’t a first day of FA guy.  Bob loves over paying for average

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could care less about the money. The folks upstairs have a better understanding of salary cap manipulation better than I ever could. We needed a starting tackle and got one. If they identified him as the person they wanted then made it happen, I am all for it. Bring on the trenches always.. That is my thought. Some times people need a change of scenery, and he is young. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, BarryTheBest said:

I could care less about the money. The folks upstairs have a better understanding of salary cap manipulation better than I ever could. We needed a starting tackle and got one. If they identified him as the person they wanted then made it happen, I am all for it. Bring on the trenches always.. That is my thought. Some times people need a change of scenery, and he is young. 

I understand your point of view but this is basically a just trust the Lions front office cause they know better than us attitude.  These guys have made this team progressively worse

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From PFF via mlive.com:

"He also fared well on his 477 snaps last season, especially as a run blocker. He ranked 11th among all offensive tackles according to ProFootballFocus. But his pass protection left more to be desired, allowing two sacks, eight hits and 11 hurries on 291 pass-blocking reps. He ranked 77th as a pass protector according to PFF, and graded out 22nd overall at the position."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, TL-TwoWinsAway said:

He's a much better run blocker than pass protector, which makes sense considering how badly they want to get a ground game going.

Hopefully it doesn’t result in stafford being grounded. I’m very pessimistic about this one, and am more than willing to eat crow if I’m wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, BigC421/ said:

I understand your point of view but this is basically a just trust the Lions front office cause they know better than us attitude.  These guys have made this team progressively worse

That is not exactly my sentiment, but they do pour more research into all this than all of us. Lets not forget that our D coordinator has intimate knowledge of this guy. That said, they have this year to make it happen. Time will tell. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, LionArkie said:

Hopefully it doesn’t result in stafford being grounded. I’m very pessimistic about this one, and am more than willing to eat crow if I’m wrong.

From the little I watched, he seems to struggle with pure speed. The Eagles had him at LT on occasion, which didn't suit his strengths, in my opinion. They may be looking at the roster and thinking that Hockenson can help chip on pass plays, while Vaitai's run blocking is a significant upgrade.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TL-TwoWinsAway said:

From PFF via mlive.com:

"He also fared well on his 477 snaps last season, especially as a run blocker. He ranked 11th among all offensive tackles according to ProFootballFocus. But his pass protection left more to be desired, allowing two sacks, eight hits and 11 hurries on 291 pass-blocking reps. He ranked 77th as a pass protector according to PFF, and graded out 22nd overall at the position."

I might be a bit of an optimist but considering Carson Wentz doesn't seem like the easiest guy to block for.  Hopefully he will be a solid RT.  Either the Lions think Tyrell Crosby is strictly a backup or they think he is better suited to play LT and would be an upgrade over Taylor Decker.  Interesting move.

Edited by Just Want A Title
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TL-TwoWinsAway said:

From the little I watched, he seems to struggle with pure speed. The Eagles had him at LT on occasion, which didn't suit his strengths, in my opinion. They may be looking at the roster and thinking that Hockenson can help chip on pass plays, while Vaitai's run blocking is a significant upgrade.

I hope stuff like this was discussed with the coaching staff prior to an offer and always is but who knows.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, BarryTheBest said:

That is not exactly my sentiment, but they do pour more research into all this than all of us. Lets not forget that our D coordinator has intimate knowledge of this guy. That said, they have this year to make it happen. Time will tell. 

Time has already told. They've already used up all their "they do more research" benefit of the doubt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Superduperman said:

This is an immense overpay. Immense.

This guy has started 4 games. Even the people who are being positive admit he's a terrible pass blocker. If he were being brought in at a medium veteran salary to compete with Crosby, that wouldn't be bad. But 5 years, 50 mil. Wow.

He spent considerable time at LT in PHI due to injuries, which is clearly not his ideal fit. He's a much better fit at RT, where he'll play here, and will significantly upgrade our rushing attack, a focus for this team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...