Lions Wary Of Fresh Vikings DT Williams
The Lions' offense will have two significant issues to deal with Sunday at Minnesota. One is the return of Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams, back after a two-game suspension, and the other is trying to stay patient against the Vikings two-deep coverage.
"This is Lions-Vikings, there aren't going to be any tricks," said left guard Rob Sims, who will be matched against Williams most of the game. "It ain't about anybody trying to get something over on somebody. It's just line up and play."
The Lions offensive linemen got a good chuckle reading some of the comments coming out of Minnesota this week -- specifically worries that Williams, because he's been unable to train with the team, won't be ready to compete at his normal high level.
"Yeah, all that stuff about him being out of shape and him saying he hasn't been working out -- nice try," said center Dominic Raiola. "That's a smokescreen. We're getting ready for the All-Pro Kevin Williams."
The All-Pro Kevin Williams has been one of the most disruptive defensive linemen since he came into the league in 2003. He has 49.5 sacks, 50 pass deflections, four interceptions and six forced fumbles - this from a three-technique interior lineman.
"He's a dynamic player," Sims said. "This will be my fourth or fifth time playing him and there are no tricks to it. You play him straight up. He's unbelievable with his hands. He's quick and big; he causes a lot of problems for you."
As Raiola put it, "He hits quarterbacks, he sacks quarterbacks, he knocks ball down, he runs screens down, he stuffs the run - when you talk about a complete player, you talk about Kevin Williams."
The Vikings traditionally are tough to run against. They also like to play two-deep coverage and refuse to allow teams to throw over the top. The Lions are a team that likes to stretch you vertically. QB Matthew Stafford has a gunslinger's mentality; he's fearless throwing the deep ball.
Something's got to give. The Lions are going to have to find a balance between what they love to do on offense and what the Vikings will allow them to do.
"Part of it is being patient," Raiola said. "You can't force anything against them. But a lot of it, too, is making a play. You have to go up and make something happen. You have to break a tackle and get some yards after the catch. That's going to be big. It's patience for sure, but it's going out and making plays, too."
The Lions feel like they have a diverse enough arsenal to handle whatever the Vikings throw at them.
"The benefit of us having so many weapons is that we don't have to force the issue," WR Nate Burleson said. "We don't desperately have to seek out CJ (Calvin Johnson) every play. We can take what they give us underneath -- let the running back check down, the tight ends hit the flat and find zones. And then hopefully that will attract them to us and open up the back end later in the game."
--There are two topics du jour around here these days. One, of course, is whether this early success is for real or if it is just another in a long line of Lions' teases. The other is if and when rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley will play.
Regardless of how much success the Lions defensive line has had already this season, the public clamor to see the team's 13th overall pick continues to get louder and louder.
"I am champing at the bit, too," Fairley said last week.
He broke a bone in his foot on the second day of training camp and had surgery the next day. He has yet to practice since the surgery.
"I am just working with the trainers and trying to get everything to 110 percent so when I get out there I will be ready for the long run," he said. "Everything is going good. I am just waiting for the word that I can go."
Coach Jim Schwartz will not put a timetable on his return.
"At this point he's just an injury-report guy," Schwartz said. "We'll get him back as soon as we can. He's making good progress. He's going to play a lot of good football for us this year. When he is able, and he can represent himself well, we will get him out on the field."
The Lions have the luxury of erring on the side of caution. With Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammie Hill and Andre Fluellen playing so well at defensive tackle, they can give Fairley all the time he needs to heal.
"With the depth that we have, it helps us not have to be impatient or make a bad decision," Schwartz said. "We don't have to put any player out before he's ready. That's been a help in this situation."
If Fairley could return to practice next week, there would be a slim chance he could play at Dallas on Oct. 2, but that would be pushing it. Cornerback Alphonso Smith, who also missed training camp with a broken foot, has been practicing for two weeks and still hasn't been activated on Sunday.
"I get excited just seeing him work with the trainers," defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. "He's a great athlete. You see him on the side in street clothes and you wonder who the guy is. But you get him on the field and it's like he's a different person."
SERIES HISTORY
100th regular-season meeting. Vikings lead the series, 66-31-2. The Lions haven't won in Minnesota since 1997. They are 12-36-1 at Minnesota. The last time they won there, Scott Mitchell threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Herman Moore with 0.02 left. The Vikings won 13 straight games from 1968-1974 and were 20-3 in the last 23 meetings dating to 1999. That said, the Lions did win the last meeting -- 20-13 at Ford Field last season.
Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
