Jordan Mailata was fine at first.
Tough loss, frustrating loss, difficult loss. But he kept it together.
Until offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland pulled him aside post-game and shared a few words with him.
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“I was fine before Stout came up to me and started talking,” Mailata said Wednesday. “And then I just lost it.”
What was Stout’s message to Mailata?
“You gave everything that you got,” Mailata said. “At the end of the day you can look in the mirror and say you did that.”
Mailata may be an incredibly tough dude, a former Australian rugby player, an imposing 6-foot-8, 365-pounder who routinely obliterates opposing pass rushers and is having a terrific year playing left tackle for the Eagles.
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But he’s an emotional dude, too. And we all saw it after the Eagles lost to the Giants 13-7 Sunday at MetLife Stadium. He took this one hard and was in tears following the game.
On Wednesday he explained why.
“We play games and when you know the line - and everybody on that team - is giving their all to win the game and you don’t come away with the result that you want, it’s tough, man,” he said. “It’s tough. And I think that’s what I love about this team. Everybody’s a competitor, everybody wants to strive to be great, and that’s why we have the locker room that we have.
“Everybody’s the same mindset. I think for me, I just get emotional. That’s it.”
It really was a rough loss.
The Eagles had won three of four to improve to 5-6 after a 2-5 start, and a win would have propelled them into the NFC playoff bracket.
Instead they lost to a 3-7 team that they were favored over by 3 ½ points that they had beaten 21 of the last 27 meetings that they outgained by 68 yards.
The Eagles committed four turnovers, three of them inside Giants territory, two inside the red zone, and we all know about the dropped passes in the final minutes.
“It was a tough loss,” Mailata said. “I’m a very bad loser. That’s just me.”
This one stuck with Mailata, who said he generally subscribes to the 24-hour rule as far as celebrating wins or dwelling on losses.
Not this time.
More like a 48-hour rule.
“Usually, the 24-hour rule, but I’ve got to be honest, last game, I just got over it (Tuesday),” he said Wednesday “I don’t know what it was about the Giants game but I hate losing like that. Those close games, they get to you.”
This was the first game the Eagles have been minus-4 in turnovers since 2015, the first time they lost while rushing for 200 yards since 2013, the first time they’ve scored seven or fewer points while rushing for 200 yards since 1957.
No wonder this one hurt so much.
“But that was last week,” he said. “We learn from the mistakes and we’re ready to take on the next game, because that’s the most important one. … I’ve moved on now.”
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