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Eagles sticking with rookie Vaitai at right tackle

The game film did not change Doug Pederson's mind. Halapoulivaati Vaitai will start at right tackle again this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, Pederson said Monday.

Eagles rookie right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Eagles rookie right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai.Read more(Clem Murray/Staff Photographer)

The game film did not change Doug Pederson's mind. Halapoulivaati Vaitai will start at right tackle again this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, Pederson said Monday.

Pederson offered similar support for Vaitai on Sunday after the rookie struggled in a 27-20 loss to the Washington Redskins, but that was minutes after the game concluded and before the coach reviewed the film and discussed potential changes with his assistants. Even after surveying the carnage, Pederson insisted that Vaitai is still the best option to replace the suspended Lane Johnson.

"Felt like he [had a] slow start, but really settled in nicely throughout the game," Pederson said. "Was it perfect? Was it pretty? No. Were there assignment errors? Yes. And I'm not going to stand here and point the finger at 'Big V' because that's not what happened. There were enough mistakes all around in this football game that cost us this game."

Vaitai allowed two sacks to Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, one of the better pass rushers in the NFL. The decision to start Vaitai was under scrutiny from the time Pederson announced it last week because it was a deviation from the team's previous plan to move Allen Barbre from left guard to right tackle and insert Stefen Wisniewski at left guard.

That switch would have created a veteran-laden line, but Pederson did not want to disrupt two spots on the line and liked the way Barbre played at left guard. Instead, Pederson was willing to put quarterback Carson Wentz behind a rookie fifth-round pick who had never played a regular-season snap before lining up against Kerrigan on Sunday.

"Regardless of whether it's a rookie or a veteran out there playing, I can't get caught up in that," Pederson said. "I'm not going to worry about that as much my focus is to get 'V' ready to go. He'll be a lot better this week. He's now got a full game under his belt. And that's valuable experience that he can learn from going into this week."

Pederson added that Vaitai "gives us the best opportunity to win right now," rejecting the notion that Vaitai's inclusion in the lineup is part of a plan to develop him to be a long-term starter at the position. He said it's a better scenario than moving Barbre to tackle. The concern in that move isn't Wisniewski, who has 77 career starts, but moving Barbre away from the position where he has started since 2015.

"Because Barbre right now, he's been playing really well at left guard," Pederson said. "It's a whole new position going from left guard to right tackle. You are out there on an island. . . . Even though it is two veteran players, that's a tough switch."

Pederson thought the Eagles did enough to help Vaitai during the course of the Redskins game, although the film reveals there were times when the rookie was one-on-one against Kerrigan. But that's also part of playing right tackle.

The coach said the Eagles slid protections and used tight ends and running backs to chip pass rushers. The coaches will "continue to monitor" how to help Vaitai when they put their game plan together. Returning to play in Philadelphia will aid the effort, too, because the Eagles will not need to use silent counts and can return to their normal cadences.

Pederson still needs options in the passing game. Considering the role that tight ends are supposed to play in the offense, Pederson cannot have them helping Vaitai throughout the game. Tight ends were targeted on only four of 22 passes on Sunday, but they also didn't play as big of a role as one would expect. Brent Celek, the Eagles' best blocking tight end, played only 13 snaps - 25 percent of the total offensive snaps. Pederson insisted he was able to call the game he wanted even while helping Vaitai.

"We do a lot of things with jet protections and slide protections that it's an easy thing to do just with a simple call, and the backs can still get in their spots and still do their routes," Pederson said. "We did enough five-man protection in this game, too, that was able to get all five guys out in the route. Yeah, I was comfortable there."

The Eagles can also count on Vaitai improving. When they drafted him in April, Howie Roseman said Vaitai has "all the tools" but needed more consistency. With more playing time, there could be more growth. However, the development is coming when games matter and with Wentz a vulnerable target - the quarterback was sacked five times and hit 11 times on Sunday. Pederson made clear that even though Vaitai is getting the bulk of attention, the problems go beyond the rookie right tackle.

"There's enough [blame] to go around [for] everybody - me included," Pederson said. "And I beat myself up all the time, as far as, 'Am I making the right calls? Am I putting the guys in the right situations by play call, by design? Am I helping if I need to have help?' So I beat myself up, too, and it starts with me because I'm the one calling the game. But there's enough mistakes."

That is true, but Pederson does not believe one of those mistakes is starting Vaitai. He'll do it again on Sunday.

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm