Patriots could use Week 18 to showcase Joe Milton: ‘I'll be ready'

FOXBORO -- Joe Milton III did something he hadn't done all season on Wednesday, taking snaps with offensive starters in Patriots practice. 

Just a few days away from the season finale against Buffalo, the team is preparing for him to potentially see some action. And he plans to be ready for it.

"It just felt like college," Milton said Thursday of the starting reps he saw. "It felt like college again. I felt like that little kid in the backyard just throwing the ball around. Obviously this is a real job now and we get paid for this, so obviously it wasn't high school or college, but at the same time, it felt good to get back out there and get those reps. Especially with the starters.

"There were times yesterday I said to myself, it felt unreal. But at the same time it's football, have fun. Just try to make the most of every moment."

Milton added: "They haven't told me (about Sunday). They haven't told me anything about that. But I'll be ready for my opportunity, most definitely."

The 24-year-old rookie has impressed teammates with the traits he's brought to the position in practice. His athleticism and powerful right arm have helped him replicate opposing starting quarterbacks during his work as the scout-team signal-caller. And for his efforts in practices, Milton has been among the team's practice players of the week, recognized the following week with a black practice jersey.

"I think he's going to do good if he does get his opportunity," Kendrick Bourne said. "He's been preparing well. I think [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt] and [quarterbacks coach] T.C. [McCartney] and those guys are getting him into position to be successful if he does go on the field.

"Practice yesterday was really good. He made good reads and stuff like that. He looks ready. He looks excited. That energy. Feels good to feel that when your number is called. I know he's excited. He's been waiting a long time... 

"His number is being kinda called. We don't know exactly what's going to happen, but I think it's going to be exciting to see him run around. Hopefully he throws some bombs or something. You know he can."

Milton credited his coaches as well as fellow quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett for helping him grow as the season has gone on.

Maye in particular has been a good sounding board as a fellow first-year player.

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"Just asking him, 'Hey, do you feel comfortable doing this? Do you feel comfortable in this position to throw this ball?'" Milton said of Maye. "He'll be like, 'Certain times, it may not show up like that. I try to do this position.' I'll say, 'All right. Bet. That's cool.' 

"Just picking at each other's game, trying to learn from each other. We have similar but different games. But at the same time, the way that we talk, the way that we talk to each other, the way the quarterback room is, we all get along. We all try to push each other to be the best every day."   

Head coach Jerod Mayo indicated earlier this week that the door was open for Milton to play in Week 18. And Milton says he's appreciated the way he's been coached, where he's been allowed to be himself on the field and create off-script when the opportunity presents itself.

"They tell me to be me," Milton explained. "Like I said, just go out there and have fun. "(If the) play breaks down? Then let's see what happens. If it's there, it's there. I'll throw it on the first read if it's there. If not, then they'll tell me to run around. That's what certain quarterbacks do that we're playing against. I'll run around even before they tell me, and I'll make a play, and they'll say 'Perfect, we were going to ask you to do that anyway.' Just having fun with it."

"[Defensive players] know what plays are coming, I throw it, and if they make a play on it, then I served them. If I go score, then I'm going to talk my crap. It kind of mirrors each other. We all just try to have fun."

Van Pelt said Thursday that Maye -- who popped up on the injury report Wednesday with a right hand issue -- will start on Sunday against the Bills. And when asked if the plan was to play Maye the entirety of the game, Van Pelt said, "We're playing the game to win the game. ... Yes, that's the intent."

But "intent" and what actually occurs can be two different things. Which is where Milton could step in.

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Given that he's received first-team reps for the first time this week, the Patriots could be preparing Milton to showcase himself. With Maye expected to be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future, giving Milton opportunities to audition for quarterback-needy teams could be part of the impetus for playing him if it comes to pass.

Milton, a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee last spring, said he hasn't thought about trying to coax another team into trading for him by making the most of his playing time. 

"I look at it as an opportunity," he said. "It's an opportunity for me to go out there and play football; if it presents itself, then I'll go out there and play football. I'm not looking too much in the future. 

"I used to be that type of person when I was younger, think too far in the future and that'd kind of mess up the present moment. Just being where my feet (are). If something else happens, it happens. Other than that, right now, I guess I'm a Patriot. Go out there and execute the last game of the season."

Milton said that if he does get the chance to play, he would take it as validation of sorts for the work he's put in behind the scenes the last few months.

"Absolutely, I'd say that," he said. "I'd say validation. But also the way the coaches view me. They've seen that I took scout team seriously. I treated those scout team practices like a real games, so I made the most of them. 

"I tried to give the best look I can no matter which quarterback we were playing against. I tried to do the best I can and be the best version of myself. But if they say they need a certain thing done or a certain look, then I'd do exactly how they want it."