Mailata, Birds have giant challenge with Steelers’ rush
The legend of Jordan Mailata began a few years ago when Eagles offensive line coach Dave Stoutland reluctantly cancelled a golf trip to work out the Australian rugby prospect.
It continues this Sunday when Mailata and the Eagles face the vaunted pass rush of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m., Fox, WIP
94.1-FM) at Heinz Field, which will host fans for the first time this season.
The favored Steelers are hardly the juggernaut their 3-0 record suggests. Their opposition is a combined 1-11. But with a pass rush averaging five sacks per game, the Steelers can make life miserable for any quarterback, including Carson Wentz.
Enter Mialata with his 6-foot
8, 360-pound frame, who is mobile enough to move the needle almost as much as Eagles AllPro tackle Lane Johnson had in a previous workout overseen by Stoutland.
Stoutland never will forget receiving a phone call from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and the scouting department about a workout Mailata was slated to have at IMG Academy in Florida.
“That was the week we had a few days off,” Stoutland said. “I had a golf trip set up with high school friends and I was like, ‘Ahh, you’re killing me.’ So, I canceled that trip and I went down to Florida and worked him out. Lane Johnson’s workout, when I went down to his high school in Texas, I was blown away. I was like ‘Wow.’ And I told Mr. Lurie when I got back, I said ‘I’m telling you this is a wow thing.’ It blew me away.
“I wasn’t quite like that with Mailata but I was like, ‘This guy is different. Big, giant guy who can move his feet, change direction, has flexibility but needs to learn how to use his hands, how to use his eyes, all the little things.’ And the guy’s never played football before.”
Stoutland endorsed Johnson as a top-five draft pick in 2013. Five years later he recommended the Eagles take a flier on Mailata, who came off the board in the seventh round of the draft.
How far Mailata has come will be evident this week when he takes on speed rushers Bud Dupree and at times, T.J. Watt. They’ve seen film of him, unlike the San Francisco 49ers the previous week. How Mailata walls off his edge will go a long way in allowing Wentz to spot receivers.
The Steelers have four interceptions and one fumble recovery. They’re plus-2 in turnover ratio, 38-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing seven touchdown passes and just one pick for a 105.2 rating.
Roethlisberger’s targets range from the reliable JuJu SmithSchuster to rookie Chase Claypool, whose 84-yard scoring reception is the Steelers’ longest offensive play of the season. Tight end Eric Ebron is another threat although the Steelers hang their hat on the run game with James Conner, who has rushed for 224 yards and two TDs.
“The best way to defend the pass is to stop the run,” Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. “That’s the thing we always talk about. Get them in second
and-10, second-and-12, third-andlong. Then we can go after Ben with the pass rush.”
The Eagles (1-2-1) will have opportunities to run the ball with Miles Sanders. Draw plays and trap plays have negated the rush off the Steelers’ edges in previous games.
Look for tight end Zach Ertz to become a bigger part of the offense, particularly if linebacker Devin Bush covers him.
“We all know he’s going to get his,” Wentz said. “He’s going to have his games where he goes for
10 catches or 12. But the way the Niners were playing us that’s just not going to happen.”
Wentz himself has taken to running the ball. He’s the fifth Eagles quarterback to run for a TD in three straight games. The past two weeks he’s rung up the most rushing yardage in consecutive games.
Limit the Steelers’ pass rush and get after Big Ben. It’s easier said than done.
“It starts with Ben and it ends with Ben,” Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills said. “He’s getting the ball out of his hands before the D-linemen can even really get out of their stance. And other times he’s a guy that can sit in the pocket, shed a sack or two and then still throw the ball down the field. So, I think it starts and ends with him. We’ve got to try to get him off his spot. And then
outside of that just playing really, really good coverage down the field. Ben at the end of the day trusts his guys. He’s not a guy who’s not scared to throw it into tight coverage.”
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham conceded this is a game where the two top pass-rushing teams in football (the Eagles lead the circuit with 17 sacks while the Steelers rank first with 5.0 sacks per start) will scrutinize each other from the sideline.
“It’s going to be cool to see,”
said Graham, tied with Josh Sweat for the team lead with three sacks. “They’re going to be watching us just as much as we’re watching him. It’s all about who’s going to dictate what goes on in this game. And it’s going to start on D, for sure, for both sides.”
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The Eagles activated rookie wide receiver Quez Watkins and cornerback Craig James from the injured reserve list and signed cornerback Grayland Arnold to the active roster.