Big V has a been a big bust in his first season with the Detroit Lions, but head coach Matt Patricia indicated Tuesday that there are underlying reasons for offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai's inconsistent play.
"Big V’s out there battling every day and I think he’s pushing through some things that have restricted him a little bit," Patricia said. "He’s a tough guy. He just goes out and really tries to do everything he can to help the team. At that point, I’ll probably leave it at that as far as that’s concerned."
The Lions signed Vaitai to a five-year deal worth up to $50 million at the start of free agency, and planned to use him as their starting right tackle this fall.