Adrian Fedkiw
Finding one replacement turned out to be better than finding two.
Allen Barbre will start at left guard during Lane Johnson’s suspension and rookie fifth-round pick Halapoulivaati Vaitai will fill in for Lane Johnson at right tackle. It was a different story in the preseason as Barbre kicked out to right tackle and rookie third-rounder Isaac Seumalo took Barbre’s spot.
So what changed?
It was the play of Barbre. He’s had a phenomenal year so far and since he’s done so well, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson felt that having him stay put was the better option.
I don’t disagree, Barbre is better suited at guard and he’s better in run blocking than he is in pass protection. He’s currently the eighth ranked guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
I am a bit worried about Vaitai, however. He struggled mightily during the preseason. He’s gotten a lot of praise since for his play in practice, but that’s practice. We’ll see how he fares when the lights are on bright. He’ll get help, however, due to Pederson’s utilization of the tight ends.
So let’s take a look at Barbre’s play from Sunday. His initial quickness and ability to quickly locate targets are his best attributes.
Barbre takes linebacker Tahir Whitehead completely out of the play by washing him down the line.
On this play, Barbre helps Jason Kelce out with a double team before getting on the second level and steering safety Miles Killebrew out of the alley.
There wasn’t anything negative to focus on in run blocking, although there were a few pass blocking instances that weren’t so hot. He got called for a hold and failed to locate a blitzer on the Darren Sproles chop block call. Whether or not that was a chop block is a different story.
When Barbre gets initial help from left tackle Jason Peters, he’s able to hold his own.
Barbre didn’t get left on an island much, but with good hand placement he was able to drop his anchor and hold the fort against the powerful Haloti Ngata.