Inside the Iggles
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Eagles: 3 things that we learned from Wednesday’s press conferences

By Geoffrey Knox

Oct 16, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson looks on from the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson looks on from the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (72) in the huddle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (72) in the huddle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

2. No one inside of the organization has lost any faith in Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

One play from Sunday keeps coming to mind when people think about rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai. It was the moment the rubber met the road, or in this case when Vaitai met Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, and the result was the world being a witness to Vaitai being shoved backwards until he was only able to soften a blow to Wentz that would have been a whole lot worse had he not been able to impede Kerrigan’s progress. Kerrigan finished the day with four tackles, including two sacks. The majority of the Eagles fanbase appears to have given up on the idea of the rookie starting at right tackle while Lane Johnson serves out his suspension.

Fortunately for him, coaches and teammates disagree. Coach Pederson has been staunch in his support of the rookie. He continues to acknowledge that this was his first start in the NFL, and that he improved as the game went along. We tend to acknowledge the learning curve of quarterbacks in the NFL, but we also tend to forget the other rookies need experience as well. Offensive linemen need coaching too, and just like a quarterback, technique and footwork will be the focus as the Eagles try to get “Big V” ready for the Vikings.

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