Jordan Mailata, the Eagles’ biggest rookie, faces the biggest challenge
"They keep telling me Rome wasn't built in a day, but I'm a perfectionist," the Australian big man said.
Sunday seemed to be an especially tough day for Jordan Mailata, the 6-foot-8, 346-pound Australian rugby player the Eagles are trying to make into an offensive tackle.
Mailata was repeatedly out-leveraged in one-on-one blocking drills. He seems to be an excellent athlete, but he has never played in a football game and is trying to learn things that by now are instinctive to other players. But he also is the youngest player on the roster, having turned 21 on March 31. And did we mention the 6-8, 346 part?
"It's frustrating when you know what to do, and in the heat of the moment, you just forget what to do," Mailata said afterward. "Assessing the [defensive] end, there's so much to assess. Sometimes I forget to rely on my training."
Mailata said he isn't getting discouraged.
"They keep telling me Rome wasn't built in a day, but I'm a perfectionist," he said. "When coach [Jeff Stoutland] tells me something over and over again and I don't get it right, I take it personal."
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Kelce remains colorful
Jason Kelce has a new attention-getting outfit, very different from his Mummers costume. Teammate Chris Long made fun of it on Twitter the other day, maybe you saw. Long took a photo of Kelce on his phone, wearing what looked like a Native American-patterned horse blanket. Long provided imagined dialogue.
"Listen, man, the dream catchers are $15.99 firm. I can't do any better. Yep. Well, you'll have to take that up with Etsy."
"It is a hooded towel," Kelce [the real Kelce, not the imagined one] said Sunday. "I got it for the beach this summer — you don't have to carry it with you, you just wear it."
Long story short, the order was delayed and Kelce didn't get the hooded towel until he reported for camp. So now he wears it around NovaCare, cutting a striking figure.