Can you talk about what it’s like to prepare to go against a player like Jalen Milroe?
Preparing to go against Jalen Milroe is no small task. The guy’s a dual threat through and through—one of the fastest running quarterbacks in the league right now. He’s got that rare combination of athleticism and poise that makes him dangerous every time he touches the ball. But, let’s not forget, he’s still a rookie. He’s going to make rookie mistakes, and our job is to force him into those situations where he has to think twice. The goal is to make him uncomfortable, take away the easy options, and see how he handles the pressure.
That said, I have to admit, I’m a little suspicious about how he ended up with the best abilities you could ask for in a quarterback right out of the gate. I mean, dual-threat QBs with a cannon arm and 4.4 speed don’t exactly grow on trees. Makes you wonder if the football gods have been playing favorites, right? Haha. But seriously, he’s got all the tools to be great, and we respect his talent. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to do everything we can to make his life miserable on Sunday.
What makes Breece Hall so good?
Breece Hall is everything you want in a running back and then some. He’s got the vision to find the smallest crease in the defense, the speed to turn the corner, and the power to run through tackles. And if that’s not enough, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and turn a checkdown into a 40-yard gain. The guy’s a true game-changer, and when you face a back like him, you’ve got to account for him on every single snap. He’s the kind of player who can make a defense pay if you’re even a step out of position.
That said, we’re going into this game with the mindset of containing him. You don’t ‘stop’ a guy like Breece Hall—you just try to limit the damage. It’s going to take a full-team effort, and everyone’s got to be disciplined. We know he’s going to get his touches, but if we can keep him from breaking off those highlight-reel plays, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to control the game. And hey, if he wants to take a day off or go easy on us this week, we’d certainly appreciate that too.
Did you scout Jalen Milroe before the draft? If so, what stood out about him?
Absolutely, we scouted Jalen Milroe heavily—probably more than most players in the draft. When you’ve got a quarterback with his skill set, you know he’s either going to be on your team or he’s going to be a problem every time you play against him. What stood out to us was his athleticism and his ability to extend plays. He’s not just fast for a quarterback—he’s fast, period. But it’s not just his legs; the kid’s got a strong arm and the confidence to take shots downfield. You could see in college that he had that ‘it’ factor, the kind of player who could take over a game when it mattered most.
At the same time, we also saw some areas where we thought he might need time to develop. He’s got all the raw talent in the world, but at this level, it’s about making the right decisions under pressure, and that’s something he’ll have to keep refining. Whether or not he’s with us, we knew we’d have to deal with him eventually, so it was worth taking a deep dive into his strengths and weaknesses. Now, here we are, facing him, and all those notes we took during the draft process are coming in handy. He’s got a bright future, no doubt, but hopefully, we can make him look a little more like a rookie this week.
