You’ll love this clip featuring Philadelphia Eagles OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Can we all start giving Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai his due now?

Most of us have never been offensive tackles in the NFL, and seeing as how we’re all aging daily, it appears that we never will be. Bummer. Still, it’s hard to imagine anyone having as hard a time as Philadelphia Eagles OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai had when he made his first career start.

Vaitai was filling in for a suspended Lane Johnson. The opponent was the Washington Redskins, and that meant most of his day would be spent trying to keep Ryan Kerrigan away from then-rookie quarterback Carson Wentz.

There isn’t an Eagles fan alive who isn’t familiar with the events that transpired on that day.

Here’s a quick coming-of-age story.

To be honest, “Big V” has been treated a little unfairly in the court of public opinion. He’s had good days. He’s had some rough moments, but we should be fair. Quarterbacks are allowed to struggle. The same can be said for running backs. Why do we, sometimes, forget that the guys along the line are thrown into the fire? They, too, have a learning curve.

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Vaitai’s had some rough moments. Unfortunately, it’s been at times where there’s a very large spotlight looming. He’s staring to come around though, and it’s been nice to watch. Most times, when he’s out there, you don’t hear his name called. That usually means, for an offensive lineman, that he’s doing a good job.

It’s time to give this guy some credit.

Have you ever heard of that show Turning Point? It features games that are relatively tense and centers around moments (turning points) that typically shift games in the direction of one team or another. It’s normally a great watch unless yours is the team that loses the momentum.

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One of their newer episodes features a certain 71-yard run that has been the subject of a few conversations in the Eagles fan base. Click here to check it out. We, frequently, discuss Jay Ajayi the guy who was carrying the ball, but no one makes mention of the offensive tackle who cleared the way.

Honestly, as stated, that just means he was just doing his job and doing it right. It’s time for this Eagles fan base to tip their hats to this kid if no one else is.