The lesson Mailata learned from Texans disappointment

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

Nick Sirianni tried to take the blame for those two awful sacks Jordan Mailata allowed in the Eagles-Texans game.

Mailata wouldn’t let him.

"You know, I’m going to take full responsibility for both of those (because) we weren’t synced up,” Sirianni said on Friday, a day after the Eagles beat the Texans to improve to 8-0. "We were not synced up with our protection and our route concepts and that’s 100 percent on me and nobody else.”

Mailata’s not buying it.

"He explained it to us in the team meeting, but still, as an offensive lineman, I still should keep the guy in front of me, and it’s not on coach,” Mailata said. "I get paid to pass protect and run block and I didn’t do my job on those two plays.”

Because the Eagles have been off for a few days between a Thursday night game and a Monday night game, Thursday was the first chance Mailata had to speak about the two ugly Jerry Hughes sacks he allowed, which forced the Eagles to punt from deep in their own territory in a 14-14 game.

Hughes, a 34-year-old edge rusher who's having the best year of his career in his 13th season, raced untouched past Mailata on both sacks, making him look like an undrafted rookie in his first week of OTAs.

"To do it like that? On bleeping prime-time? Bleep. That was pretty bleep,” he said. "It was pretty bad on my part and I hate seeing Jalen get hurt and I just have to play at a high standard and a standard that we’ve been playing at all year.”

What did Mailata say to Hurts?

"Always pick him up first and then be like, ‘I'm so sorry, dude,’” he said.

"He came up to me on the bench and he was just like, ‘Yeah, give me one more second and I got you.’”

Everybody on this team constantly echoes Sirianni’s mantra about taking things one game at a time, one practice at a time, one snap at a time. That’s how they always stay so even keel.

Whether you just had an incredible play or a terrible play, you forget it and move on.

Sometimes that's easier said than done.

"We have this next-play mentality, but it's really hard when you feel like you let down the team, you let down the coaches and you let down the fans,” he said.

After Hughes’ second sack left the Eagles with a fourth-and-12 on their own 15-yard-line, Mailata made his way to the sideline as Arryn Siposs got ready to punt.

"I didn't want to talk to anyone,” he said. "I was so upset. I'm just like telling myself, ‘You have to approach the next play,’ but I'm just like, ‘Bleep, I can't believe that just happened.’ Approach the next play? ‘Bleep, I'm so sorry.’ I really had to move on.”

Not surprisingly, Hurts had a few words of wisdom for Mailata when Mailata was really down on himself.

“’No need to be down, just focus on your technique, focus on what we’ve all been coached to do and try to go out there and do it,’” he said he told Mailata.

"I have all the trust in the world in every guy on the field, and they know that, and I’m glad to see Jordan look me in the eyes and have that same trust in me.”

Mailata is one of the better left tackles in football. He had only allowed two sacks all year before allowing two in the span of three plays.

"You don't do the right thing, you're going to hear it and that's what other teams and other people don't understand about Philly fans, and so it was just hard for me to let go because I just felt like I let down the world,” he said.

"And once that 24-hour period kind of passed, you know, I really had to focus on the setup and not the setback. Just how can I prevent that from happening next time?

"That’s what separates the OK players and the great players, the ability to deal with adversity. That was another big lesson I learned. I need to learn how to deal with the adversity faster. That’s what great players do.

"And I thought I was great at that, but it humbled me. I thought I was great at that until I gave up those two sacks, but it was hard to deal with. Always been that next-play-mentality guy. Bleep, it humbled me. I still need to work on that.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/lesson-eagles-jordan-mailata-learned-texans-disappointment

Sirianni taking the heat off, Mailata rightly taking responsibility for it. That's what this team is all about right now.