During the team’s 24-23 preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Sione Vaki showed his head coach exactly how much he can do.
Vaki, the rookie dual-purpose player for the Detroit Lions who played safety at the University of Utah but switched to running back in Detroit, kept up his offensive demonstrations for the team.
Against the Chiefs, he ended with six carries for 22 rushing yards and four receptions for 60 yards.
“In my opinion, it is premature to tell him what we will do for him at this time. According to NFL.com, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters, “I would say the more you learn about a player and the faster you can figure out what they can do, the better off it is for everybody.”
Vaki’s four catches occurred during a single drive on dump-down throws during a first-half possession that began just before the two-minute warning and ended with a short field goal on the game’s last play.
Vaki caught passes of 20 and 17 yards in back-to-back plays during the drive; the former converted a third-and-7 at the Detroit 15 and kept the drive going.
“We had a gut feeling that this child would be able to play special teams. Now the question is, are we allowed to employ him offensively? Compared to carrying the football, he is far more advanced in that aspect of the game, according to Campbell.
“I thought he stepped up in the pass game, but a lot of that is actually because he has not done it: taking the carries, the play vision, the cuts, the reads, and all of that. He is one of the other guys in the boat. Wow, that was a big two-minute drive at the end of the half.
Vaki’s tenacity and passion were evident in that drive, the Lions coach noted.
Even though he was exhausted from performing, he persisted and forced himself to go through it. You sensed his progress,” Campbell remarked.
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Earlier in the second quarter, Vaki had two carries for 11 yards on a score drive. He also made a special teams tackle and returned a kickoff for 19 yards.
This occurred one week after Detroit is 14-3 preseason loss to the New York Giants, in which Vaki was one of the few bright points for the team.
He gained 29 yards on four carries throughout that contest.
According to the team’s website, backup quarterback Hendon Hooker of Detroit described Vaki as “amazing.” “And incredibly intelligent for a young man entering the game and making plays. You also observed a few distinct shifty maneuvers. It is amazing to watch him develop.
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