Joe Milton didn't have much time to settle into his first NFL start before theNew York Giants made his afternoon miserable. The Giants tallied seven sacks. Milton fumbled during one of them. The defender was unblocked. The Philadelphia Eagles started yet another quarterback, their third of the campaign, and he spent most of the afternoon under duress, trying to escape pressure.
It was hardly the debut the Eagles wanted after turning to him for a spark during a difficult stretch. There were plenty of opportunities to point toward the offensive line, questionable protection calls, or the Giants' ability to generate pressure. Milton took a different approach. Rather than shift responsibility elsewhere, he acknowledged that he has to do a better
job helping the offense identify pressure and communicate before the snap.
Joe Milton takes responsibility for protection breakdowns
As is customary, Philadelphia's starting QB took the podium after the game. The conversation centered heavily on accountability. Milton had been in Philadelphia for only three weeks when he joined the team, leaving him with a short window to learn a new offense and build familiarity with his teammates. He recognizes there's still work to do.
He completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards against the Giants, but the seven sacks and lost fumble were difficult to overlook. Asked what he could improve after his first start, he immediately pointed to his responsibilities in protection.
"For my first game here, I feel like I did all right. 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."
He expanded on that when asked about getting everyone on the same page, making it clear that communication begins with the quarterback.
"For sure. We've just got to get there as a whole, as a collective. We just want to make sure everybody [is] on the same communication, and that starts with me for sure."
That responsibility became especially apparent on the aforementioned sack-fumble. That wiped out a promising scoring opportunity. It came after New York muffed a punt and Philadelphia recovered the ball in enemy territory, at the New York 47-yard line, but Arvell Reese came through untouched and made a play. The Giants recovered, turning a potential Eagles advantage into another costly offensive mistake.
Milton didn't offer much of an explanation for the breakdown. He did, however, acknowledge what he needed to do differently.
"I got hit. You've just got to go out to that guy, and then I got to tackle it. That's pretty much it. Caused us turnover, so just got to fix it and slide it over there."
Three weeks haven't been enough to master the Eagles' offense
Milton's comments also revealed that his adjustment involves more than learning terminology. He must better understand the offense's protections, recognize defensive looks, and communicate adjustments with the offensive line. Those responsibilities become especially important when opposing defenses are finding ways to send free rushers at the quarterback.
Asked about the mental side of the transition, Milton referenced his previous experience while acknowledging the importance of hearing the terminology again and understanding what the coaches want from each play.
"No, it goes back to my rookie year. Just pretty much just hearing it again and understanding what's coming and what's going on and what the coach wants from this play."
He also addressed how much he still needs to learn about communicating with the offensive line and executing the protection system.
"Yeah. I mean, it all depends [on] how the protection is taught. I feel like I was taught great here for the three weeks I've been here, so therefore I've just got to fix that right there, and that's all on me for sure."
Milton understands that familiarity will take time. Still, he isn't treating the learning process as an excuse for what happened against New York.
"I'm learning every day. I'm learning every day, 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. So, the only focus I really have is just getting better week by week."
The Eagles have plenty to evaluate during their bye, and the protection problems won't disappear simply because Milton accepts responsibility. Nick Sirianni also spoke with the press, and he acknowledged that the coaching staff must examine whether it did enough to prepare the players and put them in position to succeed.
Milton's willingness to own his part is encouraging, but Philadelphia needs more than accountability. The quarterback, offensive line, and coaching staff all have work to do before the protection breakdowns become another recurring problem.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Joe Milton takes responsibility for Eagles’ breakdowns in protection
