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Cowboys' Joe Milton drops bewildering quote that he shouldn't believe if he wants to win backup quarterback job
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Despite a couple of ugly outings in the preseason, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton will get the chance to start in Friday's preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.

As head coach Brian Schottenheimer himself stated earlier in the week, that doesn't mean he's Dak Prescott's backup. It means the coaching staff wants to learn more about him. But if they're to learn Milton is worthy of the QB2 job, he must clean up his game. To do that, he needs to understand his woes.

After Wednesday's practice, Milton dropped a quote that makes us believe he doesn't. Or at least, he's not willing to admit it.

“I don’t understand why people say I throw the ball so hard," Milton told reporters. "I’m literally not throwing the ball hard. It just comes off my hand like that. I was born and blessed that way. If you think I’m throwing the ball hard, then you shouldn’t be in the NFL.”

Um. . . excuse me? Now, I'm not trying to come off as a Joe Milton hater because I'm not. But one of his biggest problems on film this preseason has been there's been too much heat on the footballs he's throwing to wide receivers. Overall, his passes have been inaccurate because he's throwing lasers when he needs touch.

Don't get me wrong. It's true Milton's arm is "blessed" wi th freakish talent and arm strength. Despite not being a starter, he's got one of the strongest cannons in the NFL. However, not everything needs to be a fastball. Even the head coach has said so.

"I think Joe was uh throwing some fastballs out there early," Schottenheimer said after the Cowboys' preseason opener.

Now, in defense of Milton, he might mean he isn't putting everything he's got into throwing the ball. That's fair. But a big clear to unlock a new level of quarterback play—something he needs to do if he aspires to a long-term career in the NFL—he needs to control his strength and tone it down. With great arm strength, comes great responsibility. I think that's how the saying goes, right?

I'm wishing Milton the best. I am. But you've got to acknowledge your flaws before you correct them.


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This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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