To say Detroit Lions’ offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s first season with the team didn’t go as anyone expected would be a pretty significant understatement.
Vaitai was in and out of the lineup for most of the season, and injury prevented him from being able to make the kind of impact he desired on the roster. Now, though, Vaitai is not interested in looking backward, but only forward ahead of a very important new season on the field.
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Meeting with the media on Friday, August 6, Vaitai spoke about where he was last year, but more importantly, where he feels like he and the team are set to go in the near future this season. As he said, while he tried hard to come back last season, he is more focused on the positives that can happen this year.
“Obviously it was unfortunate last year, but I tried to give it all to help the team win. But now, looking forward. We got Penei (Sewell), we got some guys coming back from last year so I’m super excited,” Vaitai told the media.
The injury which Vaitai tried to push through ended up shutting him down in 2020, and while it was hard to deal with that reality, Vaitai admits he is still standing after the ups and downs.
“It’s just one of those things, you know, either let it get into my head and fall down or try to push through, pay my bills, I’ve got two kids at home so I’m trying to do everything, trying to keep healthy, trying to work through it, trying not to let it get in my head. I have great guys in Taylor (Decker), he was always there giving me pep talks. It’s hard, especially in this league. You get a little injury and try to fight through it. It’s hard, but everyone’s a big boy,” he explained.
Now, though, the page has been firmly turned for Vaitai, and he believes the Lions are set up to do some good things thanks to the players they have in the mix up front.
“I feel like it’s going to be great, the chemistry there, the bond. I feel like we’re all one unit. I can say what Frank (Ragnow) is going to do, I can think what Jonah (Jackson) is going to do or Taylor (Decker) or Penei (Sewell). We’re all on the same page. I feel like it’s going to be a good year,” he said.
That opinion is shared by plenty in the national media, and while 2020 may have been a struggle for Vaitai personally, it’s good to hear he is turning the page in a major way moving forward this season with a talented group of players.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai Happy to Switch Positions to Help Lions
In terms of his own position, Vaitai is moving inside to guard this year, and that’s something which the tackle told the media suits him pretty well, even if there has been a bit of a learning curve he has had to endure thus far during his transition. Specifically, with regards to the speed of the game. It doesn’t matter, though, because Vaitai wants to do whatever he can to help the team first and foremost.
“At guard everything happens quicker. I don’t kick as much, got help both sides left and right, I got the center, I got the right tackle. Just different roles, different terminology between the center an the guard. But it’s just one of those things, if the coach needs you, I’ll be there to step up and try to help the team win,” Vaitai said to the media.
This season, Vaitai is being counted on to help out in a big way up front and provide some stability, and it sounds as if he is motivated in order to make that happen.
Vaitai’s NFL Statistics
Vaitai, out of TCU, is only 26 years old and has 20 career starts under his belt from his time with the Eagles which is where he started his career. Vaitai has also played in 55 NFL games in his career, and was a former fifth round pick of the Eagles from back in 2016.
Vaitai helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII a few years back, and is an up and coming lineman in the league given these facts. A big selling point when he came to Detroit was his ability to play either tackle spot or guard, even though Vaitai is an offensive tackle by trade. In Detroit, he’s done a bit of both so far when healthy but been used at guard most regularly. The results haven’t been great thus far, but that could have plenty to do with his injury and how he’s never quite been himself this season since joining the team.
Here’s a look at some of Vaitai’s highlights:
The talent is there, and the hope is Vaitai can match it with health ahead of the 2021 season. It sounds as if he is on track to do just that.
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Halapoulivaati Vaitai Looking Forward to Good Year for Lions Line