Allen Park — Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley spent a decade as a player in the NFL, making him uniquely qualified to relate with members of his position group. After 123 career starts on the interior, he knows what it’s like to battle stout defensive tackles.
His advice to center Graham Glasgow, who is tasked with slowing Vita Vea (6-foot-4, 347 pounds) in Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? “Put two back braces on.”
“It’s impressive, the first step he has, the quickness he has, the moves (and) the agility for being such a big man,” Fraley said of Vea. “He has it all. It’s rare to have that type of ability. You would never say he’s a true pass rusher, but he can push the pocket and become a true pass rusher. That’s what makes him special, that quick first step. Being that big, he can do a little bit of everything.
“Jokingly, definitely put the back braces on. Because he’s a load in there, he’s a force. He’s a very good player. We have a lot of respect for him and, really, this whole defense. Coach (Todd) Bowles has been doing it for a lot of years. I’ve played against him, I’ve now coached against him. We have a lot of respect for those guys, so it’s going to be a nice test for us once again here.”
Fraley likened Vea to Haloti Ngata, a multi-time All-Pro who Fraley shared a division with from 2006-09. Ngata, of course, spent three seasons with the Lions (2015-17).
“The size is one thing, but his quickness to get off the ball (is impressive),” head coach Dan Campbell said of Vea. “He’s got explosiveness, and he’s got really good feet. … When you’re a man that big and you can move like he moves, then you’ve got to do everything right (against him). You’ve got to play with leverage, you’ve got to have the get-off of your life. … If you’re not locked in and you’re not perfect fundamentally, he’ll get on you.”
Vea has 14 tackles (two for loss) and 2½ sacks this season, but his impact goes beyond personal statistics. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis leads the NFL in run stops — getting to play behind Vea certainly helps — and the Bucs are allowing 88.2 rushing yards per game, the fifth-lowest number in the NFL.
Big game, level head
It’s a bit early to begin projecting playoff scenarios, but it’s possible Monday’s result between the Lions and Bucs could have massive seeding implications in January. Tampa Bay (5-1) has the best record in the conference, and Detroit (4-2) isn’t far behind.
The magnitude of Monday’s contest is clear to Campbell. Still, the coach isn’t trying to make things larger than they need to be.
“It’s one of the first things I thought of going in. It’s like, this will have meaning toward the end of the year. This will mean something,” Campbell said. “But at the same time, it’s the next game. And if you make it more than the next game in front of you, you’ve got to be careful with that. You’ve still got to be loose enough and confident enough to just cut it loose and don’t worry about a misstep because the fact of the matter is, too, it’s a long season.
“It’s a long season, so let’s worry about playing better than we did last week. Like, really, let’s just play better. Let’s play cleaner football. Protect it like we have been, let’s get some takeaways. Let’s get some plays on special teams, find some explosives and find a way to beat this opponent. Because it is a good opponent.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
