Eagles Notebook: Jordan Mailata's Actions Speak Louder than Words

After the Eagles’ last gasp was extinguished, with the ball sailing through Jalen Reagor’s hands at the goal line with 25 seconds left in a 13-7 loss to the New York Giants, quarterback Jalen Hurts bent at the waist.

He had been battered and bruised over the course of 60 minutes and his team had come up short in a game it was expected to win.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata, all 6-8, 380 of him, towered over him, with his left hand placed on Hurts’ back.

Asked on Wednesday what he said at that moment, Mailata said nothing, as in literally nothing.

“I think actions are louder than words,” said Mailata. “I just wanted to let him know that I was there, and he wasn’t alone, and it wasn’t his fault. Sometimes there are no words to say.

“I just stood there by him to make sure I was there, picked him up, and made sure he was in a good place. We weren’t. We weren’t in a good place after that game. It was a tough loss.

I’m a very bad loser. That’s just me. I was trying to make sure that my boys are first before I handle my business.”

Mailata was seen getting emotional as he walked off the field, with his line coach, Jeff Stoutland, next to him.

“I was fine before Stout came up to me and I just lost it,” he said. “You play games and when you know the line and everybody on that team is giving their all in the game and you don’t come away with the result you want, it’s tough. It’s tough.”

So tough, Mailata said he broke the 24-hour rule, which players talk about after a win or loss, get over it after 24 hours, and move on.

“I just got over it (Tuesday),” he said. “I don’t know what it was, but at the end of the day, I hate losing like that. It was a close game. But that was last week, we learned from the mistakes and we’re ready to take on the next game.”

SACK MAN

Javon Hargrave finally notched his career-high seventh sack in Sunday’s loss. It figured to come much sooner, after he had reached six on Oct. 10.

Then came the dry spell that ended when he tapped down Giants QB Daniel Jones, who was on the run and went down on his own to keep the clock moving late in the game.

“It’s hard to get sacks in this league,” said Hargrave. “Of course, it would have felt better with the win, but definitely happy to get it.”

BRIAN KELLY TALK

The former Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly, now LSU coach was once the coach at the University of Cincinnati. Those Bearcats days were when Jason Kelce was there.

Kelly took the LSU job earlier this week and his former players at Notre Dame learned about it on social media.

“I did not see it coming, but good luck to him,” said Kelce.

Kelly called a meeting for 7 a.m. on Wednesday to talk to his former players. Reportedly, the meeting last two minutes, and Kelly left without taking questions.

“That’s a rough thing for any head coach to navigate,” said Kelce, who then recalled Kelly leaving Cincinnati for Notre Dame in 2009.

“He told us he was leaving at our senior banquet,” said the Eagles center. “He showed up at our awards banquet with ESPN news trucks and local media outside so we knew something was up.”

INJURY UPDATE

Head coach Nick Sirianni said he would have more information on RB Jordan Howard’s knee injury on Thursday.

Miles Sanders, he said, is progressing nicely from his ankle injury.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Sua Opeta has been quietly waiting in the weeds. We’ve been joking around here the Sua Opeta stock might be hotter than the Tesla stock right now with the way he’s blocking in one-on-ones.” – Eagles center Jason Kelce while talking about some of the candidates to play right guard with Jack Driscoll out for the season.