The memes and jokes were flying around social media wildly and recklessly like a drone with a toddler at the controls. The Eagles deserved it, frankly. Going up 17-0 and then scoreless the rest of the game while surrendering 27 points is a lot to process.
The offensive line and Carson Wentz are getting a lot of the blame, combining for eight sacks and three turnovers. But in the midst of one of the team’s lowest moments in recent memory, is there an apology Eagles fans need to dole out?
Geoffrey Knox from Fansided made the case that Birds fans should issue a mea culpa to Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
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"Big V" signed with Detroit in the offseason, inking a five-year, $45 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. That’s a ton of pesos for a guy who missed the Lions' Week 1 loss to Chicago with a foot injury and missed a bit of training camp with injury issues.
As a fifth-round pick, Vaitai went from a serviceable backup for the Eagles to the Lions' starting right tackle in one offseason.
Because he hasn’t played so far this year, there’s no way to accurately assess the impact he will have with Detroit. Although, there are many opinions about how smart of a signing the TCU product was for the Lions.
Detroit invested a lot in improving its offensive line over the last few seasons and while the jury is still out on how much return on its investment Vaitai will provide, saying the Eagles owe him an apology is a gigantic stretch.
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Just because the Eagles' offensive line couldn’t keep Wentz upright doesn’t mean every almost and not quite from the team's past is the solution. Vaitai had a ton of drawbacks while donning midnight green, consistency paramount among them. To think the Eagles would have given "Big V" anything close to the beaucoup bucks the Lions gave him is laughable.
Injuries to Brandon Brooks, Andre Dillard and Lane Johnson are the cause for the Eagles' hodgepodge offensive line and their subsequent putrid performance. "Big V" can continue to cash out in Detroit while the Eagles address their woes here.
The Lions gave up only one sack in Vaitai's absence Sunday and helped the running game to 115 yards and a touchdown. Forget about the Eagles apologizing, the Lions haven’t missed him so far this season either.