Overmatched no more? Eagles counting on Vaitai's pass protection, blocking up front
Kevin TresoliniST. PAUL, Minn. – It was simple, really.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai just needed time.
As a rookie last year, the Eagles offensive tackle had to start six games. He frequently appeared overmatched.
This season Vaitai had the unenviable task of stepping in for left tackle Jason Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Eagles’ seventh game.
Some performances left observers wondering if Vaitai could handle the task. In five starts from Nov. 5 through Dec. 17, Vaitai gave up 26 quarterback pressures, the most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Better efforts since have erased doubt, even built considerable faith in Vaitai. But the Patriots are sure to test the second-year player.
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“I’m getting more and more comfortable. I just needed more repetition and more experience,” said Vaitai, who will start at left tackle in Super Bowl LII against New England at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday.
The offensive line has become a key reason the Eagles reached the franchise’s third Super Bowl and are seeking their first NFL title since 1960 with a backup, though previously proven, quarterback in Nick Foles.
Vaitai’s development has had much to do with that.
“It’s been huge,” center Jason Kelce said of Vaitai’s improvement. “ … V’s replacing a future Hall of Fame left tackle in Jason Peters, which is some pretty big shoes to fill.
“But you don’t ask V to go out there and be Jason Peters. You ask V to go out there and just do his job the coaches are asking of him, and he’s done just that.”
Progress has been slow and steady for the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Vaitai. It peaked in the Eagles’ 38-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game Jan. 21, when Vaitai and his offensive-line comrades had to cope with one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts.
Vaitai, in particular, had to duel with Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. He more than held his own, as Griffen had no sacks and just two quarterback hurries.
“I was just locked in that night because I didn’t have any worries,” Vaitai said.
That mindset was rooted in confidence, familiarity and the benefits of time spent honing his craft, which is one requiring precise details rooted in strength and movement.
“I was just poised,” he said. “I wasn’t all over the place. I was focused in. I was more attentive to what’s going on. I didn’t let the defensive line get into my head. I just did what I was coached to do.”
He played, coach Doug Pederson said, “extremely well,” an assessment few may have envisioned a month before.
Peters has been a huge benefit, Vaitai added, encouraging and guiding him along the way with reminders to stay diligent and rely on self-assurance and concentration.
“It’s always been about the next man up,” Vaitai said. “It’s crazy to be in the Super Bowl and actually be playing tackle here. I’ve got to give it all for Jason Peters. At some point, players go down. It’s just one of those deals.”
The 14-year NFL veteran said Monday he plans to return next season. Until then, Peters is making sure his replacement is playing his best.
“Anything I can help him do because I’m not out there,” Peters said.
Among Peters’ advice has been for Vaitai to “be calm and relax every play,” Peters said. He also noticed that Vaitai was leaning, perhaps tipping off defenders about his intentions, and urged him to remain more stationary, which also resulted in improvement.
“He’s playing good,” Peters said. “He played a good game last week against Griffen, and we’re here now in the Super Bowl, man, ready to roll.”
The Eagles’ offensive line has received rave reviews of late for its protection of Foles while being just as adept at run blocking. Pro Football Focus rated the Eagles' offensive front as the NFL's best, even though Vaitai graded significantly worse than his linemates.
“They’ve been outstanding all year,” Foles said. “I personally think this is the best o-line in the NFL, definitely the most athletic. They work so well together.
“All these guys can run, move; they’re strong, powerful. They’re great guys. They’re smart. They get all the checks. They work together with all the defensive looks, so to be a quarterback behind this o-line, I’m grateful, and they just keep getting better every single day.”
They’ve done that despite losing their left-tackle anchor in Peters.
Kelce said the coaches’ imaginative offensive scheming has benefited the offensive front.
“We do a lot of different things from an offensive perspective,” he said. “We’re not just a zone team; we’re not just a gap team. I think that can, at times, for a defense, it’s hard to think about what [the Eagles] are gonna do. So that’s one aspect.
“The other aspect is I think we have really good players and really good coaches. You combine good players being put in really good situations; it leads to successful plays. We do so many different things. We do a lot of run-pass option; we do a lot of trap runs, a lot of zone runs. We do a lot of everything, and I think coaches, in particular [offensive line coach] Jeff Stoutland, through the week just do a phenomenal job of finding out which plays have the best angles, which plays are gonna be good.”
Vaitai has played a key role in that.
He was the Eagles’ fifth-round pick (164th overall) in 2016 out of TCU, where he was a two-time second-team All-Big 12 pick.
As a rookie, Vaitai quickly had to fill in at right tackle when Lane Johnson served a 10-game suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. He also filled in when Johnson missed the Oct. 12 game at Carolina with a concussion but struggled at times.
Playing on the left side after Peters' injury, Vaitai said, brought its own challenges because a whole new set of routines and muscle memory had to be developed after so much time on the right. Now they are more ingrained.
“He’s just getting better and better each game,” guard Brandon Brooks said of Vaitai. “Picked up this year where he left off last year. It’s been impressive. It’s been great to watch. I’m happy for him.”
Kelce said that Vaitai’s even-keeled emotional makeup and steady reliability are ideal for offensive line play.
“If you just consistently do your job, you’re going to be very, very successful, and he’s been just that,” Kelce said.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @kevintresolini.