Rookie Jalen Milroe lost three fumbles on Saturday as he went all the way under center in the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason finale. Afterward, the former Alabama quarterback said it was “nothing to be discouraged about.”
“If you’re discouraged, I mean, you’re not a competitor,” Milroe said. “I love football. I love everything about it. The highs, lows, the failures, disappointment. You got to love football. And so it’s part of the game. And so, man, it’s my first start. And it’s a great opportunity to build upon it. Man, it just is. I’m excited just to keep on competing, keep on getting better.”
A third-round draft pick on April 25, Milroe had played off the bench in Seattle’s first two preseason games. But for the finale, the Seahawks kept starter Sam Darnold and backup Drew Lock off the field.
“What a dream come true to have my first start in an NFL game, no matter when it is, to be able to do so,” Milroe said. “I want to thank coach Mike Macdonald, the whole offensive staff, for allowing me to take my first start. It was just a great opportunity just to be on the field, and especially here in Lambeau Field -- what a historic venue -- so it was just a great opportunity. It was a lot of fun to be out there to be able to compete. And so now it’s just all about building upon today as an offense and just keep on going.”
In a 20-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Milroe completed 13-of-24 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran seven times for 31 yards. Milroe threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody White to cap a five-play, 57-yard drive with 11:59 left to play.
Milroe lost a fumble on a sack that Green Bay recovered at the Seattle 30-yard line in the first quarter. He lost the football after running for 3 yards on a fourth-and-1 snap from the Seattle 44 in the second quarter. The final fumble came when a shotgun snap from the Green Bay 22-yard line got away from him on the final play of the game for the Seahawks offense.
“Every turnover that’s from the quarterback position, you got to build on it,” Milroe said. “You got to take care of the football. All those are on me. I got to be better with ball security. It’s tough. When you’re in the trenches, they’re going to swipe at the ball. Some big strong dudes, they’re heavier than me. You got to protect the ball. It happens. But that one play didn’t lose us the game. You got to keep on competing. You got to keep on building. That’s a part of the game. And so I’m going to learn from that and grow from it. …
“No matter good, bad or ugly, keep on going, keep fighting, keep being starving, have an optimistic mindset. As you approach the field, despite anything -- good, bad or different -- you got to be the same person each and every day. You got to keep on being encouraged on the sideline. You got to keep on having that hunger mentality as you approach every single rep that you have.”
That’s something like the message that Macdonald had after the game.
“Just keep keep chopping away, man,” Macdonald said. “Keep building the foundation. I mean, he’s out there, he’s he’s playing his tail off, and there’s things we’re going to learn from. You know, taking care of the football is probably the No. 1 thing, and he knows that. And we’ll learn from it and grow from it, but I think it was definitely worth it to get him out there and have this experience. He’s definitely going to be able to build off this in the future. …
“What’s great about it is, like, he didn’t flinch. He had a couple of setbacks earlier, but just kept fighting, man. Kept working away at it, and up until the very end had a chance to get back in the game and give ourselves a chance to win it ultimately.”
The Seahawks open their 17-game regular-season schedule against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 7.
There has been some training-camp indication that the Seahawks will have a package of plays to take advantage of Milroe’s mobility as a change-of-pace quarterback or a gadget player. In Seattle’s second preseason game, Milroe subbed in for Darnold on the first series to take a third-and-1 snap, and he ran for a first down.
“I expect to be prepared whenever my opportunity presents itself,” Milroe said. “I don’t know when that opportunity is going to present itself, but when it does, I’m going to be my best me. And also I’m going to be trusted when I go in the game. If I’m in the game, it’s because the coaching staff trusts me, and it’s going to come from my working habits, practice habits, the stuff that’s done in the dark, so it’s going to come out to shine, for sure. I know that better things are ahead.
“You know, it’s the preseason. You’re not going to win a Super Bowl today. No team is going to win a Super Bowl today. And so I’m just excited for the opportunity because it’s going to be another opportunity for me to play, so it’s all about seasoning.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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