By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
His full name is difficult to pronounce, but his NFL debut this past Sunday was easier to analyze. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, better known as "Big V," was exposed early and often and the Eagles rookie right tackle's play against the Redskins left a lot to be desired.
When Lane Johnson's 10-game suspension became official earlier last week, Vaitai was confidently named the replacement by head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich offered rave reviews of the fifth-round rookie from TCU. They believed he was ready to assume the responsibilities required of an offensive tackle in the NFL.
However, Redskins' defensive end Ryan Kerrigan made sure to attack Vaitai early and often, and especially early, the rookie looked completely lost. Kerrigan logged two sacks and another half tackle for a loss. Though "Big V" regained some of his composure in the second half, most of the pressure rookie quarterback Carson Wentz encountered in this matchup was due to the rookie right tackle's subpar play.
The question had been raised for many weeks prior to Johnson's long-term suspension: how will the team go about replacing the veteran right tackle? The good news was the coaching staff had a plethora of time to make that decision. The news of Johnson's potential suspension first surfaced in early August and when it was handed down, he appealed, and that prolonged the decision.
Pederson probably didn't have Vaitai on top of his list of replacements for Johnson when the news first hit more than two months ago, but as the season progressed, he felt more than confident that "Big V" was ready. Part of the motivation behind giving the rookie right tackle the starting job had to do with the sound guard play from Allen Barbre and Brandon Brooks. The coaching staff still wants to avoid at all costs moving a player like Barbre to tackle, and having to put another guard at his vacated spot.
The offensive line play without Johnson's services isn't anywhere near the same. Though it is a one-game sample size, it is hard to envision a scenario where Vaitai can play anywhere near Johnson's level. As the Eagles get set to play the number-one ranked defense in Minnesota this week, the task for the offensive line only gets more arduous.
Vaitai remains the starter, according to Pederson, as he reiterated that in his traditional day after game press conference on Monday afternoon. "Big V" will have the task of blocking defensive end Everson Griffen – who has four sacks this year, including three against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. Fellow defensive end Brian Robison also has four takedowns of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
The Vikings' defense is one of the deepest units in football. They rank third in the league in sacks with 19, plus they have only allowed 12.6 points per game. This could be another recipe for disaster given the Eagles' shaky offensive line play after one game without Johnson. Can things improve? Sure, but the matchup on paper between the line of scrimmages isn't one that will ease concerns.
It is probably too premature to state that the Eagles' offensive line is in crisis mode. One or two more performances like Week 6 against the Redskins, and then the word "crisis" can be appropriately used. The coaching staff has to make sure it doesn't approach that level. This week will be crucial in figuring out what they need to do to make Vaitai's life easier. Max protection and plenty of help on his side will be necessary.
Now that the first-game jitters are out the way, maybe that will allow "Big V' to relax more in his first home start on Sunday. The rest of the unit needs to rally around him. The team can ill-afford for this to turn into a Winston Justice situation when he was coming along as a starter, and relinquished seven sacks in his debut.
Pederson needs to learn from his teacher Andy Reid. If he looks back at history, he will make sure it doesn't repeat itself in this case. The other options at right tackle aren't appealing right now. Names like Matt Tobin or moving Barbre from guard to tackle are avenues he wants to avoid.
But how long until the head coach is forced to make a change? Any hesitation to do so can't happen. If it does, the season could head in the wrong direction very rapidly — making a promising start to the 2016 season a thing of the past.
