FOXBOROUGH — On a dreary, drizzly night at Gillette Stadium, Joe Milton III brought the crowd to life.
Patriots starter Jacoby Brissett and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye got one drive each to begin the preseason opener against the Panthers, and then Bailey Zappe took the next seven series under center. When Milton — the sixth-rounder out of Tennessee — trotted onto the field late in the third quarter with a 7-0 lead, the fans applauded. They were eager to see the 6-foot-5 quarterback with a rocket arm, and “Bazooka Joe” didn’t disappoint.
“It’s just surreal, watching Joe. He’s a crowd pleaser,” rookie wideout Javon Baker said.
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However, Milton’s first highlight of the evening didn’t come with his arm. It was his legs.
Milton found the highlight reel with a 12-yard scramble that required far more running than just 12 yards. With the ball at midfield, tight end La’Michael Pettway couldn’t hold his block and the pocket crumbled. Milton ran backwards, which is rarely a good idea, but in this instance it worked swimmingly. Retreating to the 31-yard line — 19 yards behind the line of scrimmage — Milton switched fields and looped around to sprint past his pursuers, eventually tumbling to the turf with a first down. The scramble may have come against third-stringers, but Milton’s raw talent is undeniable.
“I haven’t ran like that in so long,” Milton said with a laugh.
The 24-year-old often does standing backflips on the practice field, so his athleticism in this instance was no surprise to his teammates.
“That’s just Joe being Joe, honestly,” Baker said. “He can do everything. He’s got legs. He’s got an arm, as you all know, he can throw the ball. Joe can do everything, for sure.”
In the fourth quarter, Milton tossed a 38-yard touchdown pass to rookie JaQuae Jackson, who smoked his cornerback with a double move. Milton did a nice job of looking the safety off, and Jackson wound up wide open for the score. After his Patriots preseason debut, a 17-3 win that saw the offense score 10 points in his two drives under center, Milton’s happiness was obvious.
“I have a big personality and I’m going to show my personality every time I get a chance to,” Milton said. “My thing is, I want to make sure everybody smiles. Every day. Day in and day out.”
He certainly provided some smiles for fans that had grown restless on Thursday night in Foxborough.
