Quarterback Joe Milton finds things to build on in sometimes-rough Eagles debut: ‘I feel like I did all right’
After his first career NFL start, Milton expressed gratitude for the opportunity and said he's still getting to know the scheme and his teammates.
The Eagles made the switch from Tanner McKee to Joe Milton this week to see if something — anything — would spark their season. A matchup with the rival Giants felt like ideal timing, too.
The result was the same thing we’ve seen from the Eagles all season: Ineptitude on offense.
The Eagles, now 2-7 and riding their first seven-game losing streak since 2012, fell to the Giants, 19-11, on Sunday afternoon. Milton finished with 169 yards on 18-of-34 passing and a QBR of 17.1. He rushed for a team-best 64 yards.
» READ MORE: Eagles fail to thaw offense in 19-11 loss to Giants; QB Joe Milton can’t provide spark in seventh straight defeat
The 26-year-old showed promise, like when he jolted the team with a 19-yard gain on the second series — which ended with the Eagles’ lone touchdown drive of the game. He also improved his chemistry with rookie wideout Makai Lemon when he connected with him on a 15-yard pass halfway through the second quarter. Lemon was facing tight man coverage, but Milton wired it to him for the chunk gain.
Milton’s lowlights were glaring, though. He was called for a false start on his very first play and coughed up a fumble as Giants rookie Arvell Reese pummeled him after going unblocked.
How did Milton sum up his first ever NFL start?
“For my first game here, I feel like I did all right,” he said. “There are a lot of things that I can clean up as far as protection, just helping those guys out with protection. That’s something that we’re going to get better [at] this week coming up for sure.
“I felt blessed, more blessed,” Milton added. “That’s about it. I felt more blessed than anything. I was able to see my family in the stands, so it was great, but it was also just great to be out there with the guys that I’ve been here training with for the past three weeks and learning and just that communication and connection that the team has and just being a part of it. I love it. It’s great. I wouldn’t ask for no better situation than this.”
The Eagles appear set to roll with Milton for the foreseeable future. He took over Wednesday after McKee had lost three starts in a row and looked lost at times in offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system. Milton, who only signed with the team three weeks ago, is embracing his role as Jalen Hurts’ latest fill-in.
“I’m learning every day,” he said. “Every week, day by day and just enjoying the process, but also just overworking the body, not crazy, but overworking the body to be where I want to be and get to where the team want to get to.”
» READ MORE: Eagles grades vs. Giants: New quarterback, same bad offense; secondary has several coverage busts in 19-11 loss
Asked to evaluate Milton’s performance, coach Nick Sirianni said it was a mixed bag.
“I think just like everybody, he had some really good plays and then he’s going to have plays that he’s going to want back, naturally,” Sirianni said. “But I thought he did a lot of good things, a lot of solid things, made some plays with his feet, gave our guys a couple chances downfield.
“Thought he was good in the play-action world. I thought he did some really nice things. Obviously, we have to play better complementary football to be able to have the run game coincide with the play actions that we were running, but there were some good things that he had. But like I said, there’s always going to be plays throughout a game that you’re going to want back, and Joe’s no different than anybody else.”
With the Eagles’ season gradually going up in flames, there’s been plenty of external fingerpointing. The offense, specifically the line, has drawn considerable ire, especially in light of the Eagles parting ways with longtime, beloved assistant coach Jeff Stoutland. Stoutland’s track record on the offensive line is Hall of Fame-worthy. This year, with Chris Kuper as Stoutland’s replacement, the line has regressed.
Should Kuper shoulder most of the blame? What really happened between Stoutland and the Eagles that caused their relationship to fall apart? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane dives deeper into one of the biggest “what ifs” from a frustrating season, framing Stoutland’s exit around four key questions. Listen here.
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