Jordan Mailata Stops the Musical Chairs at LT
PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Stoutland had never been a fan of moving parts on his offensive line but necessity has turned the Eagles' veteran offensive line coach into a devotee of musical chairs and the tunes just keep playing.
Game No. 12 in the Eagles tortured 2020 season is set for Sunday in Green Bay and it certainly looks like Philadelphia is about to roll out its 11th different group in front of Carson Wentz.
This time it's rookie right tackle Jack Driscoll tagging in for the underwhelming Matt Pryor.
Jordan Mailata, however, recently settled into left tackle, presumably for the rest of the season, while Jason Peters' stumble toward the finish line of his career will take place at right guard if the big man's dislocated toe and less-than-stellar play permits.
The only presumed original starters left are ironman center Jason Kelce and left guard Issac Seumalo, who recently returned from his own seven-game absence due to knee surgery.
The big injuries started in June with Brandon Brooks (Achilles') and doubled down in August with Andre Dillard (torn biceps) and Lane Johnson (dual ankle surgeries).
Thanks to Mailata, however, the music is winding down at LT and the 6-foot-8, 350-pound Aussie novice has found the open chair and made it his own even if Peters was squeezed out because of it.
Mailata not only has the size to play the position but the right mindset. He was asked earlier this week what the feeling is like when you give up a sack.
"Nobody wants to give up a sack," he said. "It’s the worst feeling in the world seeing your QB get hit. We get paid to do our job, and when we don’t do our job, it hurts us the most.
"We take a lot of credit for that, and a lot of ownership, trying to be more accountable every week. We try to correct it on the film and solidify a good protection plan and make sure our QB isn’t getting hit and sacked. Every week is a new week."
Eagles QB Carson Wentz has been sacked a league-high 46 times. Not all Mailata's fault, obviously, but maybe he can now help minimize some of the damage, especially because he still has Peters helping him with technique and doesn't feel any awkwardness playing with Peters, a potential future Hall of Famer at LT.
“It was weird, but it wasn’t weird enough for me to feel uncomfortable,” Mailata said of getting the LT nod with Peters still in the lineup. “He was actually still giving me pointers during the game."
The Eagles tried everyone they had at LT before finally rolling the dice with Mailata and finding the finished product a pleasant surprise.
Independent observers thought he played his best game as a pro during the 23-17 loss to Seattle.
"I wouldn’t call that my best game to date," said Mailata. "Watching the film back, I know there’s still a lot of things that I could have done better to help out the rest of my line, especially Isaac. I know there’s a lot more that I could have done, but I was happy with the way I played but when it comes to the individual sense.
"It’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport. So I know I could have done more to help out my left guard, and my QB."
As for the latest changes Mailata was mum on the move to Driscoll, who has started two prior games due to Johnson's now season-ending ankle problem.
"I don’t know anything about who’s playing at right tackle, so whoever steps up I’m sure they’re going to bring their 'A' game," Mailata said.
They'll have to, because, unlike the Seahawks, Green Bay brings better edge rushers to the table, particularly Za'Darius Smith but also Preston Smith and Rashan Gary.
"We don’t know who we’re going to line up against, both guys, number 55 (Zadarius Smith])lines up both left and right, so it’s gonna be interesting," said Mailata. "We’re gonna keep looking at the film and build our protection plan."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Get the latest Eagles news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of the EagleMaven page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow @kracze on Twitter.
