Halapoulivaati Vaitai scouting notes on the new Lions right tackle

Film review and scouting report on the Lions new right tackle, Halapoulivaati Vaitai

I must admit, when I first saw the news that the Lions had flooded Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s bank account with more dollar bills than there are letters in his first name, I was a little irritated. I have a few friends who cover the Eagles for a living – if you could call that a living – and I’d heard offhand stories about what a horror show their swing tackle was. From the sounds of it, the guy couldn’t even open a pickle jar while walking backward and live to tell the tale.

A $50M emergency tackle with the motor skills of an industrial Shop-Vac would surely have been the nail in my coffin, but I was pleasantly surprised with his film. That might not be saying much given the expectations that had been set, but I was certainly happy to come away with my corneas intact.

2019 games watched: 11/17 vs. NE, 11/24 vs. SEA, 12/15 at WAS, 12/22 vs. DAL, 12/29 at NYG

Pros

Above average athlete with good quickness and sufficient agility/change of direction/balance
Sufficient lateral agility in his initial kickslide
Good stopping power in his punches and adequate ability to time his strikes in pass pro
Has enough change of direction ability to redirect to handle inside counters and pick up twists
Sufficient anchor
Good power to anchor his run lane on base blocks and create movement on doubles
Has the necessary quickness to cut off B gap defenders on the backside of zone runs
Good hand placement as a run blocker
Flashes fluidity as a pulling guard
Sufficient ability to sustain in the run game

Cons

Tends to stop bring his feet late in the rep as both a pass protector and run blocker
Struggles with speed, especially from wide alignments
Inconsistent ability to stay square negatively impacts ability to withstand speed-to-power
Mediocre awareness to identify stunts and his responsibility against overload blitzes
Marginal screen blocker due to struggles tracking and taking effective angles to assignments in space
Will become top-heavy while driving or anchoring and fall off run blocks late
Plays with mediocre timing off doubles and takes suboptimal angles to second level defenders

The bottom line is that Vaitai is a lower-end starter at RT who has the ability to make spot starts at RG. Although a move to the interior would make him a plus athlete and assuage concerns about his ability to play on an island against speed, he may not see the game quickly enough to make a full-time move to guard.

By all accounts, 2019 was a step in the right direction for him, but he will need to continue to improve his pass pro footwork if he wants to shed his reputation as a marked man. He also has the potential to develop into a very good run blocker if he plays with more body control to sustain his blocks, but this deal will ultimately be judged on whether or not he can consistently hold his own as a pass protector against top competition. He flashed the ability to do so against Demarcus Lawrence in Week 16, but he needs to show more consistency in this regard to earn fan confidence.

Fortunately, his deal is pretty team-friendly and the Lions can get out from under it after just two years if need be. As for now, this appears to have been a slight overpay for a player who should be a team’s fourth- or fifth-best offensive lineman, but nothing catastrophic. And if Vaitai’s performance is nothing catastrophic, then this signing will be just fine.

Danny Shelton: What the Lions are getting in their new DT

Danny Shelton is an easy guy to spot. The new Detroit Lions defensive tackle weighs 340 or so pounds and sports long black hair and distinctive tattoos up and down both arms.

He also happens to be a pretty darn good football player, and the Lions are a better team for adding him as a free agent this week. The five-year veteran instantly bolsters the interior defensive line.

What exactly are the Lions getting in Shelton?

He spent his first three seasons in Cleveland as a first-round pick out of Washington in 2015. In college, he was a versatile nose tackle with a good sense for the ball and an Academic All-American.

For the Browns, expectations were too high based on his draft status. He was a good-not-great contributor on some bad Browns teams. First-round status implies pass rush, fair or not, and that’s not Shelton’s game. He managed just 1.5 sacks among his 11 TFLs in three years before the Browns traded him to New England.

Note the timeline. Shelton did not join the Patriots until March of 2018. That’s two months after Matt Patricia left to coach the Lions. While Patricia and his Lions staff are certainly familiar with his role(s) in New England, they have no real ties to Shelton or history with him.

I say roles in New England, because Shelton’s changed from 2018 to 2019. His first year in Foxboro was a continuation of his Cleveland career, a very good interior run defender with gap integrity and a good nose for the ball but almost no penetration or upfield surge. That changed in 2019.

New England started shading him over a guard or tilting him from being heads-up on the center more. It played to his quick burst and let him get a little more space to operate. He responded by making more plays in the backfield, getting a career-high three sacks and more pressures. It’s akin the jump Damon Harrison made when he joined the Lions in the middle of the 2018 season.

Shelton’s trademark run defense did suffer a bit as a result. Increasing his range led to more opportunities to miss. He’s still a very sure, powerful tackler, but he was more vulnerable to cut and wham blocks in the run game.

Shelton is a quality replacement on the nose for Harrison. If the Lions move to a more traditional 4-man front, and that appears to be the case based on their offseason moves, Shelton will play the 1-tech and play a lot. If he’s more of a 0-tech in an odd front, he won’t make as many noteworthy plays but also won’t be noted missing as many chances, either.

Jamie Collins: What the Lions are getting in their new LB

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The Detroit Lions made their first free agency splash on defense by agreeing to sign veteran linebacker Jamie Collins. The ex-Patriot will sign in Detroit for three years and $30 million, per numerous reports.

What exactly are the Lions getting in the 30-year-old Collins?

I got the opportunity to watch every snap Collins played, most of them several times, during his two-plus seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He was dealt to Cleveland midway through the 2016 season by the New England Patriots and spent all of 2017 and 2018 with the Browns.

Those Browns teams were terrible, winning one game. Collins’ level of engagement waned with each passing week, which is unfortunate because, for about the first 20 or so games, he was a really good off-ball linebacker.

Collins is an outstanding athlete. It’s faded a bit over time from his college days, but he was a predecessor to what Isaiah Simmons is in 2020. And his ability to move well in space and cover tight ends and RBs was his best attribute in Cleveland. He handled that role while occasionally blitzing in Gregg Williams’ hyper-aggressive (think Jim Schwartz without a filter) 4-3 defense.

Almost as important as what Collins is: what he is not. He is not an EDGE. Collins has been an off-ball LB for the last four years and hasn’t regularly taken snaps as a pass rusher since before Bob Quinn took over as Lions GM. He’s taken more snaps as a slot corner (aligned over a flexed TE) than he has as a hand-in-dirt defensive end over the last four years.

Having said that, Collins can still rush the passer. He bagged a career-high seven sacks in 2019 in New England. The Patriots used him as more of a secondary rush weapon, often working in conjunction with Kyle Van Noy, who played the more traditional EDGE (Jack) role for New England. It’s a role Collins played very well.

His length and 1-2 step closing burst to the point of attack make him very effective as a rusher and at disrupting passing options as both a rusher and in coverage. Collins does have excellent natural instincts at working with the line and the rest of the front in a coordinated rush. He played some defensive tackle (at 255 pounds) in college and it taught him how to better use his hands and the timing of how to attack the O-line.

There is the matter of his prior relationship with Matt Patricia. There were loud whispers when Collins was dealt to the Browns that he and Patricia, then the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, did not get along. I personally asked Collins about it in a press conference in Cleveland and he deferred, choosing to not talk about anything Patriots-related at the time.

Those whispers have never gone away, nor have they ever been confirmed. Collins had other options and chose to play under Patricia, so I’m going to consider that water under the bridge. My larger worry is that the Collins I watched at the end of his Cleveland time, a disinterested and apathetic player checked out because of the mounting losses, reemerges if the Lions aren’t better than they have been under Patricia thus far.

Andy Janovich: What the Browns are getting in their new fullback

The Browns have a new fullback, Andy Janovich from the Denver Broncos

The Cleveland Browns didn’t make the giant splash during the second day of free agency that they did on the first day, but they did make one of the smartest moves of the day by adding a solid contributor at fullback in Andy Janovich. All Cleveland had to give up for their potential starter is a seventh-round pick in 2021. As most are aware, selections that late rarely make the cut as evidenced by last year’s seventh-round selection of CB Donnie Lewis.

Name: Andy Janovich

Height: 6-1

Weight: 238 pounds

Age: 26 years old

Previous Team: Denver Broncos

It is not surprising that Denver has decided to get rid of Janovich on the cheap as they enter into a new offensive scheme with their new offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur. The former New York Giants head coach utilizes the fullback position very little, but Janovich is a solid player and was due for a big 2019 before being placed on the injured reserve after just seven games due to a dislocated elbow.

Many will remember Janovich’s gruesome injury as it occurred against the Minnesota Vikings on a pass to the flat; it made its rounds as far as internet notoriety goes. Before the injury, Janovich signed a nice little extension with Denver and had five receptions for 42 yards to go with one rushing touchdown on the young season.

Janovich can be just as good as San Francisco 49ers fullback, Kyle Juszczyk and Juszczyk’s usage in San Francisco may be a solid indicator of how Janovich will be utilized in Cleveland. I would have no issue betting that Janovich is going to set career marks in multiple statistical categories this season. When Janovich isn’t dominating as a short-yardage weapon or lead blocker, he is active on special teams.

The biggest issue in Janovich’s play is his lack of ideal weight, which is likely the reason why he dominates with more his technique. His lack of size does cause problems when he is tasked with lead blocking into better defenders. He also has missed a few blocks due to ducking his head.

Case Keenum: What the Browns are getting in their new backup QB

Keenum is the epitome of a journeyman backup

We can all finally sleep easier, the Cleveland Browns have finally addressed the painstaking need at…back-up quarterback. With all of the free agency and trade hoopla going on during the first day of free agency, Cleveland decided to snag journeyman Case Keenum. This was probably the easiest prediction considering Keenum worked with current Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski during his one season of brilliance in Minnesota in 2017.

Name: Case Keenum

Height: 6-1

Weight: 208 pounds

Previous Team: Washington Redskins

Age: 32

Keenum was an undrafted free agent out of Houston in 2012, when the Houston Texans gave him his first shot. Although he didn’t receive a ton of hype during that draft cycle, Keenum had enough of a college resume it was shocking he went undrafted.

Keeping up with his movement around the NFL requires some close attention…

After two seasons in Houston, Keenum was released and signed by the St. Louis Rams in 2014 and placed on their practice squad before finding his way back to Houston for the remainder of 2014. This is shocking, but Keenum was then traded back to St. Louis for the 2015 season and remained on the roster through the 2016 season. After fulfilling his contract, the Minnesota Vikings plucked Keenum up in 2017, where he exploded and took advantage of the quarterback market in 2018 when he signed with the Denver Broncos. Keenum was then traded to Washington for the 2019 season and was the mentor to their first-round selection, Dwayne Haskins.

Despite his extensive and lengthy journeyman resume, Keenum actually has moments of solid quarterback play, including last season leading up to his implosion in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. Just looking at his statistics, Keenum is a solid option, but he is not good enough to provide any kind of spark. He is battle-tested and appears to be the kind of player that is hard to get rid of, but it is worth mentioning that he was viewed as the third option behind Colt McCoy before McCoy had to have another surgery last season. The biggest trait that has allowed Keenum to last in the NFL this long is his anticipation. He also understands playbooks quickly and can thrive in quick-hitting rhythm offenses.

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Keenum lacks the size you look for in a starting NFL quarterback and I am not just picking on his height; the former Cougar has a small frame. He also has an extremely underwhelming arm as far as strength goes and defenses understand they can focus on the underneath game when Keenum is taking snaps. Keenum also lacks the quick release most offenses covet.

He will be coming in as the back-up quarterback and that is where he will remain. There will be no quarterback competition no matter how often we hear the Stefanski connection. If the Browns are in a position where Keenum has to play, they will lose, but that’s the case with most backups.

Jack Conklin: What the Browns are getting in their new right tackle

Conklin comes from the Tennessee Titans and is a huge upgrade over Chris Hubbard

Everyone in the world is aware of the offensive line struggles in Cleveland. Apparently, the new front office led by Andrew Berry decided to try and ease those worries on day one of free agency with the signing of former Tennessee Titans tackle, Jack Conklin. The elite right tackle agreed to a fat contract of $42 million with $30 million of it fully guaranteed.

Name: Jack Conklin

Height: 6-6

Weight: 308 pounds

Age: 25 years old

Previous Team: Tennessee Titans

Conklin is an absolute stud and was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Tennessee out of Michigan State. He immediately earned All-Pro honors as a rookie. Although he hasn’t repeated those honors, he had another fantastic season in 2017 before ending the year with a torn ACL. The 2018 season was not great for Conklin, but most will chalk that up to him being slowed by his injury, especially considering he missed the first three games of the season.

This past season was much better and healthier. There is no question Conklin is at least a top 10 right tackle in the NFL. You can’t teach his blue-collar work ethic or intangibles and this goes back to his days as a walk-on for Michigan State. Conklin has elite power, which allows him to win at the point of attack on a consistent basis. The former Spartan is a coach’s dream with a “yes sir” attitude.

In order for this signing to pay off, Conklin needs to stay healthy and continue on this upward trajectory. No one expects him to return to his pre-ACL tear form, but it would be a dream come true if he did. Conklin lacks the eye-popping athleticism you see in other top tackles around the league and that mixed with his lack of ideal length make him a question mark against more athletic edge rushers.

This piece doesn’t read extremely positive or hopeful, but Conklin is a near-elite talent that will step in and dominate the right tackle spot for the Cleveland Browns. The leap from Chris Hubbard to Conklin will make any fan cry tears of happiness, but it is important to be aware of the large dip in play Conklin experienced the season after his injury. It is reasonable to expect Conklin to play at a Pro Bowl level, but maybe not an All-Pro level.

Austin Hooper: What the Browns are getting in their new tight end

Scouting report on new Browns TE Austin Hooper

The new front office in Cleveland came out like a wrecking ball during the first day of free agency. The emphasis couldn’t be anymore clearer as the Browns focused on offense with all three additions. The first signing agreed to was former Atlanta Falcons tight end, Austin Hooper, who earned a whopping contract that includes $44 million and $23 million guaranteed.

Name: Austin Hooper

Height: 6-4

Weight: 254 pounds

Age: 25 years old

Previous Team: Atlanta Falcons

Hooper was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Atlanta out of Stanford and at the time this was viewed as a steal. This has held up as true as he has already made two Pro Bowls during his four-year career. The Browns are snagging Hooper right after a season in which he accomplished career highs in catches with 76, receiving yards with 787 and touchdowns with six. He accomplished all of this in just 13 games as he suffered a knee sprain, which held him out for three weeks.

Austin Hooper has caught 93.8% of his catchable targets the past two years while hauling in 59% of his contested targets. Both rank 2nd among TEs.

— John Kosko (@JohnKosko3) March 16, 2020

Hooper has a unique ability to find ways to get open on a consistent basis and is a solid blocker when asked to do so. Many thought the Falcons would elect to franchise tag him as he was that vital to their offense, but the price was too steep. Hooper was underutilized in the red zone with Atlanta, but he has all the tools to dominate close to the end zone.

The biggest knock on Hooper is he does lack the elite strength that some of the other upper-echelon tight ends in the league. This makes him a far less devastating blocker when inline. Despite being a fantastic athlete, Hooper is often one of the last people firing off the line of scrimmage at the snap, which is frustrating but not a deal-breaker.

Overall, Hooper is one of the best all-around tight ends in the league and would easily make any top ten positional list no matter who you ask. He is still very young and will likely get better as time goes on. It appears that Cleveland has found their long term answer at a key position.

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Russell Wilson provides offense with 15 page scouting reports

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson prepares 15 page scouting reports to his entire offense, and quizzes them each week.

It’s no secret that a big part of Russell Wilson’s success over his eight-year career with the Seattle Seahawks is in his preparation.

While he has all the physical skills and high-football IQ necessary to be elite, Wilson works extremely hard to prepare for each upcoming opponent – and he works just as hard to make sure his teammates are prepared as well.

Recently, Wilson has taken to not only providing his entire offense with scouting reports – a practice he began back in his rookie year – but he has been quizzing them as well.

“I’ve always done the scouting reports, but in this year in particular, just trying to quiz guys,” Wilson said on Thursday. “I’ve always tried to put interesting facts in there or whatever it may be. Maybe something random each week or whatever. This year in particular, especially because we’ve had a lot of young receivers and young guys just to be really able to make sure that they’re on their stuff and everything else.”

Wilson goes on to say his quizzes are about a whole variety of topics, including sensible topics like protection schemes, route plans, somebody’s speed, and also things like where a coach previously worked, who owns the team, and so on.

The detail in Wilson’s reports has grown tremendously in the past few years. He typically starts his research on Sunday evening after the team’s game, and hands them out to players on Tuesday.

What started as a five or so page report has turned into 15 pages per week.

“I just thought about, just making sure that one, that I prepared, but I thought it was important to be able to give information to the other players and stuff,” Wilson continued. “I think that’s really important, to be able to not just study yourself, but also to share knowledge, that way, when you’re asking a question or somebody else has a question or whatever, we can all refer back to it. It’s grown. It started off at five pages. Now, it’s probably at 15. It’s been a cool process of it.”

The Seahawks will certainly have their hands full with a stout Packers defense on Sunday afternoon, but regardless of the outcome fans can be assured that preparation was not an issue, at least for the offense.

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NFL playoffs: Scouting the AFC playoff teams

A look at the AFC playoff teams from a statistical point of view before the postseason truly gets underway.

The Baltimore Ravens earned a richly deserved bye in the AFC playoffs after finishing with the best record in the conference at 14-2. But while they are resting up and hoping the flu bug that has swept through the squad will not take a long time to clear up, the postseason will begin in earnest this week.

While there’s plenty of reasons to believe the Ravens will sweep through the playoffs en route to their third Super Bowl visit, they’ll have to beat a couple of AFC teams to get there first. There are five potential opponents alongside Baltimore in the AFC playoff race, all with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Here we will take a look at the five other teams that potentially stand between the Ravens and a trip to the Super Bowl, looking at how they have fared in 2019 from a statistical point of view.

Kansas City Chiefs:

The Kansas City Chiefs secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC in the dying moments of the regular season. They won the AFC West with a 12-4 record and edged past the New England Patriots after the Patriots lost at home to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

Offense:

The strength of the team is their offense and primarily their passing game. The Chiefs scored the sixth-most points in 2019, with 51.8% of their offensive drives ending in a score — the second-highest rate in the league. The Chiefs did a masterful job of protecting their stud quarterback Patrick Mahomes, allowing a sack rate of only 4.2%. This was the fourth-best in the NFL. While Kansas City put up the fifth-most passing yards, they were ranked 23rd in rushing the football.

Defense:

Defensively they were middle of the pack this past season, allowing the 17th most yards but also the seventh-fewest points. The Chiefs were vulnerable on the ground, allowing the seventh-most rushing yards. But teams did not enjoy much success through the air against defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit, amassing the eighth-fewest yards. The Chiefs had 45 sacks, good for 11th in the NFL last season, and created these without a strong reliance on the blitz, sending extra rushers on just 29.1% of their plays.

They were fairly proficient with regard to taking the ball away from the opposition. The Chiefs ended 13.4% of their opponents’ possessions with a turnover. This was the ninth-best rate in 2019.

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2020 NFL draft: Travis Etienne scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Clemson running back Travis Etienne

Travis Etienne | RB | Clemson

Height | 5-10

Weight | 210

College Bio Page

Career Stats

Strengths

If you’re looking for speed and explosiveness at the running back position, Etienne is your guy.

His acceleration once he hits a running lane is nothing short of impressive, and he has the long speed to outrun defenders in the open field. He runs with determination and a high motor, fighting hard for extra yardage and churning his legs to try and run through would-be tacklers. Etienne also has very good contact balance for a speedster, as he can roll over the opposition and keep himself upright when he gets hit.

Etienne’s production at the collegiate level has been fantastic, too. Through three seasons, the Clemson back has 3,924 rushing yards, 54 touchdowns and an astounding 8.0 yards per carry. His proven ability to make big plays should attract NFL teams looking for a running back early in the draft.

Weaknesses

While Etienne possesses top-notch physical attributes, he could still improve his ball-carrier vision. He’s inconsistent in terms of showing patience and identifying the hole and can be too aggressive when shooting up the middle. He goes all-out on almost every play, but that speed should be adjusted when waiting behind blocks for a lane to emerge.

Though he has shown some improvement in the role in 2019, Etienne is still a bit raw and unproven as a receiver. Prior to this past year, he only had 17 catches in his first two seasons. He is raw running routes out of the backfield and doesn’t have very smooth hands. That inexperience could prevent him from being a three-down back early in his career.

Bottom Line

A speed demon with a high motor and a tough running style, Etienne has a very high upside with some more room to develop. If he irons out some wrinkles in his game, the sky’s the limit for him.

Projection: Round 1-2

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