Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Mailbag: Why is Kindle Vildor on this team?
It's Thanksgiving week everyone. This is a big one for the Detroit Lions, so this will be a big mailbag this week. For the first time ever we'll be taking questions from Bluesky as well as Twitter. Let's get into it. Will they go back to Skipper if Decker can’t play?— Big Daddy Drix ?️? […]
It's Thanksgiving week everyone. This is a big one for the Detroit Lions, so this will be a big mailbag this week. For the first time ever we'll be taking questions from Bluesky as well as Twitter. Let's get into it.
Will they go back to Skipper if Decker can’t play?
— Big Daddy Drix ?️? (@bddrix.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 6:46 PM
The expectation is that they will, but that he will move over to right tackle and Sewell will play left tackle. A few weeks back when Decker was out and Skipper started at left tackle, that was mostly because Decker's injury happened late in the week and the Lions just rolled with what they had been doing in practice up to then. This time they have time to know what they want to do and work it out. Albeit it is still a short amount of time.
I'm going to go with Alim McNeill. He is setting the table for basically everything right now. He's getting pressure up the middle and if he's not, he's eating space so guys on the edge can get pressure. Because he's doing both things so well it's closing the pocket and forcing faster throws or making the QB have to take time to find an opening. That allows coverage to be better.
Not to mention that he's been a great run stuffer too. He's just killing it right now.
There's a few options. The Lions could go with rookie Sione Vaki. That one makes the most amount of sense if you ask me. Then there's Kahlil Dorsey who has return experience. The Lions could elevate Maurice Alexander for a couple games. We know he has a lot of experience. The last option is Donovan Peoples-Jones. He took over the role for a short time last year in the playoffs.
Do you think we will see Isaac Ukwu again this season?
— Eric Muller (@handsomecheese.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 6:57 PM
Part of me thinks we won't. He has one practice squad elevation left and I think the Lions don't want to use it unless they absolutely need to. I think they see a future with him and they don't want to risk sending him to the waiver wire to reset his elevations. If they do use it, it'll probably be late in the season ahead of the playoffs.
Thoughts on LaPorta slight production drop? Jamo taking his yards?
— Randy Voisinet (@randyvoisinet.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 8:35 PM
The thing about it is that I expected it. This is not a knock on LaPorta in any way, but players that have great rookie seasons go on to have a slump in year two like 98% of the time. LaPorta will snap out of it, but he has way more attention on him now and it's showing. Still a good player, but slumps are hard to beat.
For starters it looks like he's about to start playing on defense on Thanksgiving. He only played special teams against the Colts. Campbell said he's ready to play defense going forward on Monday though.
In terms of what they want him to do, it's a little bit of everything. They want him at corner, safety and special teams. Even though they say he's ready, I would still expect them to take it slow on the snap count for just a little longer.
He can play both inside and out. We saw him do that in Las Vegas. With that said, I think he's been very good in the slot and there's just no reason to upset the apple cart there. Just let him keep doing his thing.
It's the same reason the Lions trusted Will Harris so much. They love a guy that they can stick anywhere and they know that he can at the very least make sure the sky doesn't fall. I know some Lions fans felt that it did because he allowed three catches in a game where the team they played scored six points, but that's not how the team feels. It's just not.
Honestly if the NFC Championship thing doesn't happen, people wouldn't even be this focused on him. I mean they blame him for losing that game despite Gibbs fumbling on the very next drive and the Lions offense falling off a cliff in the second half. The team lost that game, not one guy. And it certainly didn't come down to one play.
He's been great on special teams, but he's also been a good rotational guy that's been playing all year in short spurts too. The most he had played was 20 snaps against the Cowboys and 16 against Jags. Both in the fourth quarter of blowout wins.
Then he got thrown out there for 55 snaps in his first start in almost a year. I don't know why anyone expected lockdown from the guy. He was bad in the first half and then had a better game in the second half. That happened.
People will point to the one big catch that he allowed in the second when the receiver went out of bounds, but I'd bet my life savings they'd credit any other corner in the world for leading the receiver out on the sideline.
Plus he's a great special teams player. Dan Campbell and the coaching staff is constantly shouting this guy out in pressers. He did it just last week.
"Then (Lions CB Kindle) Vildor stepped in and did a nice job for us. (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) just didn’t quite feel right and so we got him out of there and Vildor did a great job of stepping in and competing."
Dave Fipp from the week before on if there is anyone that is performing at a higher level than expected.
“I don’t know if I would say a higher level than I expected, but I think (Lions CB Kindle) Vildor’s done a really good job for us as one of our gunners. I mean everyone focuses on (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey and he gets a lot of attention, but because of that, Dorsey gets the double teams, and then if you can single the other guy, well then, it’s a tough day for you in coverage. But Vildor’s been able to show up for us on the backside when he’s got the one-on-ones and really helps us out.
Campbell the week before that.
"I thought (Lions CB) Kindle Vildor really showed up at the gunner on the outside."
Campbell a couple weeks before that:
"Vildor, big time on special teams."
The guy is here for a reason and he's going to continue to be here. Three catches allowed isn't going to change that.
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