Philadelphia Eagles fans owe Halapoulivaati Vaitai an apology

Yes Philadelphia Eagles fans, some of you owe ‘Big V’ an apology.

If you read Inside The Iggles faithfully (may all your days be prosperous if you do), then you know that we’ve always been huge supporters of former Philadelphia Eagles reserve tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai. As Jason Kelce so eloquently put it in a short presser following Philly’s Week 1 loss, ‘Big V’ never got the credit he deserved.

Maybe he was never forgiven for how things began. In his first-ever start, ironically a road game versus the Washington Football Team, one Lane Johnson would miss, Vaitai was taken to the woodshed. Here’s what’s unfair. We all acknowledge that quarterbacks need reps, but we act as though the guys who play the other positions on the field don’t need the same thing.

Fortunately, ‘Big V’ got the proper coaching, and he turned things around. By the time his first four years in the NFL were up, his resume featured some nice work filling in at both tackle spots, and he was decent enough to play a little guard if need be. Then Philly let him go this past off-season, and most of Philly’s media and much of the Eagles fan base didn’t bat an eyelash.

By now, if you’ve been paying attention, it should be easy to realize that was a gross error in judgment. Forget the salary cap. Had Philly wanted to get a deal done, they would have gotten one done. Reserve NFL linemen that possess Vaitai’s versatility don’t grow on trees, and if you believed that they did or if you celebrated when ‘Big V’ left this team, then, shame on you. Look at what happened when Andre Dillard tried to play right guard. It’s more difficult to do than you might think.

Just in case you’re unaware of where our staff and most of the Eagles fan base stands, let us make it painfully clear for you. This Eagles team needs a workhorse running back, but following Philly’s implosion in D.C. during Week 1’s slate of games, something needs to be said. Yes, Philly missed Miles Sanders, but he wouldn’t have saved the Eagles’ running game on September 13th. Heck, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton couldn’t have saved this team’s running game in Week 1.

Philadelphia has issues up front, and they may want to look outside of the guys who are already on the current roster. Jack Driscoll may be injured. He left Week 1’s game. Nate Herbig wasn’t great from what most of us saw, and Philly didn’t trust Matt Pryor enough to put him in the game.

The answers to Philly’s offensive line issues may not be on this team currently, and it may be time, with a little over $13 million to spend in 2020, for Eagles vice president and general manager Howie Roseman to explore some outside options. Otherwise, Carson Wentz is going to have a short season, and this team isn’t going anywhere in 2020. Unfortunately, ‘Big V’ is no longer an option.