Posted June 10, 20214 yr Eagles’ Jeff Stoutland weighs in on left tackle battle between Andre Dillard, Jordan Mailata Updated Jun 09, 2021; Posted Jun 09, 2021 Philadelphia Eagles will host a left tackle battle in training camp between Andre Dillard and Jordan Mailata.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola, Pool) AP By Mike Kaye | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Jeff Stoutland didn’t hesitate Wednesday when he was asked about the legitimacy of the left tackle competition between Andre Dillard and Jordan Mailata. The longtime Eagles offensive line coach was matter-of-fact about the battle. "Oh, there’s definitely one,” Stoutland said. "And, I think any time there is a competition like that -- and it’s that close -- it brings the best out of both players.” Dillard, the Eagles’ 2019 first-round pick, missed all of last season after tearing his biceps in training camp. Meanwhile, Mailiata, a former Australian rugby player, performed admirably in the first meaningful football games of his life. Now, the two friends will fight for the right to protect presumed starting QB Jalen Hurts’ blindside. "Both players have to be on all day, every day,” Stoutland said. "Cause it’s a competition, whoever is the most productive and whoever does the best, whoever has the most value going into the season is going to be the starter.” Dillard has been cleared to perform for a couple of months, and the Washington State alum claims to have motivation like never before. He feels stronger mentally and physically, which is a positive note, given his early struggles in the NFL. Mailata is looking to build off what he did last season. While he only started eight games, the 24-year-old showed promise in his first meaningful snaps. A 2018 seventh-round pick, Mailata’s NFL journey seems to be finally picking up. Stoutland claims neither player has an edge heading into training camp. Ultimately, the work put into training camp and the preseason will determine the winner of the left tackle battle. While Stoutland, an offensive line coach of 38 years, will have input, the final decision will come from new head coach Nick Sirianni. "I expect that player to fit right in with the rest of the (starters) and be accountable to all the things that are going on,” Stoutland said. "Because when you watch how synchronized the group is, I want the (left tackle) to be just like that.” https://www.nj.com/eagles/2021/06/eagles-jeff-stoutland-weighs-in-on-left-tackle-battle-between-andre-dillard-jordan-mailata.html
June 10, 20214 yr Howie is in a quandary here. I'm sure he would love to Mailata start because it would be steal for a seventh round pick but then that would mean he blew the first round pick with Dillard. It will be interesting to see who Howie starts.
June 10, 20214 yr 13 minutes ago, Perforator said: Howie is in a quandary here. I'm sure he would love to Mailata start because it would be steal for a seventh round pick but then that would mean he blew the first round pick with Dillard. It will be interesting to see who Howie starts. 🤣
June 10, 20214 yr Author I sure hope the days of Howie and Lurie meddling in with the day-to-day operations of the football decisions went out the door with Doug. They need to let the new coaching staff sink or swim with the decisions they make. Have to assume that while the final decision will be Sirianni's, Stout's recommendation for who starts at LT will be the one they go with. Stout has 1 less year of coaching experience (38) than Sirianni has been alive (39).
June 11, 20214 yr My early bet is Mailata wins the competition. His inexperience can be cured through reps. Dillard's PAC-12-itis is far, far harder to cure. It usually requires a visit to the Wizard for both a heart and courage.
June 11, 20214 yr 29 minutes ago, PoconoDon said: My early bet is Mailata wins the competition. His inexperience can be cured through reps. Dillard's PAC-12-itis is far, far harder to cure. It usually requires a visit to the Wizard for both a heart and courage. See I actually think Dillard wins the battle. I think it'll be close though and I think Dillard may get the nod because Mailata can be that swing tackle. I think it'll be a good battle to keep an eye on though.
June 11, 20214 yr 42 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: See I actually think Dillard wins the battle. I think it'll be close though and I think Dillard may get the nod because Mailata can be that swing tackle. I think it'll be a good battle to keep an eye on though. I hope it is a good competition. Having to choose between two good young players is a great problem to have.
June 12, 20214 yr 9 hours ago, PoconoDon said: I hope it is a good competition. Having to choose between two good young players is a great problem to have. No doubt about that! If both are good then that puts the team in a really good position both now and in the long term.
June 19, 20214 yr On 6/12/2021 at 1:48 PM, VaBeach_Eagle said: I'm pulling for Jordan to win the spot. Has JP retired yet? Not officially that I've heard. It sounded like he was on the hunt for one more ring.
June 19, 20214 yr I was reading an article about Penei Sewell that I relates here. He (Sewell) was asked to switch between left and right tackle. He said he did not find it easy at all, everything was backward. Maybe Dillard didn't deserve all the grief he got about the one game he played at right tackle. His basically saying he didn't think he could do it well before even trying though ............
June 19, 20214 yr 5 hours ago, eglz1 said: I was reading an article about Penei Sewell that I relates here. He (Sewell) was asked to switch between left and right tackle. He said he did not find it easy at all, everything was backward. Maybe Dillard didn't deserve all the grief he got about the one game he played at right tackle. His basically saying he didn't think he could do it well before even trying though ............ I don't think the grief is because of the way he played though. I think most understand that it is an incredibly hard thing to do. The issue was that he made excuses before he even played. He'd lost that game before he even started.
June 19, 20214 yr 34 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: I don't think the grief is because of the way he played though. I think most understand that it is an incredibly hard thing to do. The issue was that he made excuses before he even played. He'd lost that game before he even started. True, which speaks to his mental makeup. He was supposed to have worked on that but will one offseason be enough? . We'll find out soon enough I guess.
June 20, 20214 yr On 6/19/2021 at 6:04 PM, eglz1 said: True, which speaks to his mental makeup. He was supposed to have worked on that but will one offseason be enough? . We'll find out soon enough I guess. No, it probably won't be enough. That shouldn't stop him though from accepting it's along term process, and taking a page out of this man's book:
June 20, 20214 yr Jerry Rice didn't come from the PAC 12😉. He was just on "A football Life" the last night or two. Jerry certainly did not have a pampered childhood.
June 22, 20214 yr On 6/20/2021 at 6:12 PM, eglz1 said: Jerry Rice didn't come from the PAC 12😉. He was just on "A football Life" the last night or two. Jerry certainly did not have a pampered childhood. Came out of the SWAC so you know he had to outwork the world to get the attention of the NFL. Fun Fact - In college they called him "World" because he caught everything in the world.
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