‘Who gets the last laugh?’ Jalen Milroe called out Bill O’Brien for doubting his ability at quarterback
"How would you feel if I told you that you suck?"
Jalen Milroe was motivated by Bill O’Brien’s comments: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has gone through a journey to reach his current circumstances. He’s about to lead the Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff as the team’s quarterback and one of their leaders.
Yet earlier in his Alabama career, Milroe apparently faced doubts from now-Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who thought he couldn’t play quarterback. During a press conference ahead of the Rose Bowl (in which Alabama will face Michigan on New Year’s Day), Milroe was asked if he’d ever been told to play another position.
“All my life, even when I was in college. My own offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, said I shouldn’t play quarterback,” Milroe explained. O’Brien, now in his second stint with New England, coached in the same role with Alabama during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Later in the press conference, a follow-up question was put to Milroe: What was his reaction (and how did he feel) when faced with O’Brien’s comments?
“How would you feel if I told you that you suck?” Milroe replied. “The biggest thing for me is to be true to myself and stay the same. Nothing changed about me. The only thing that changed was that I had the opportunity and I seized it. So for me, it was to stay true to myself and add a bigger purpose to anyone’s opinion.”
Does Milroe remember which position O’Brien wanted him to switch to?
“He told me a bunch of positions that I could have switched to, but look where I’m at right now,” Milroe said. “Who gets the last laugh?”
Trivia: Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs are both approaching 10,000 career receiving yards (at 9,981 and 9,882, respectively). The duo would join an exclusive club of 54 players who have also achieved the feat in league history. Six players on that list played at least eight games for the Patriots. Can you name them?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Their initials are: SM, IF, RM, CJ, HJ, JG.
Scores and schedules:
The Celtics found a way past the Pistons in overtime on Thursday, rallying to send Detroit to its 28th straight loss by a 128-122 final score.
Tonight, the Celtics face the Raptors at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m.
Tomorrow, the Bruins host the Devils at 7 p.m.
And on Sunday, the Patriots will be in Buffalo to play the Bills at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Celtics narrowly avoid disaster, beat Pistons in OT: 8 takeaways
- How Celtics reacted to extending Pistons’ losing streak to record-tying 28 games
- Could Russell Wilson join the Patriots? Weighing pros and cons of an offseason blockbuster
- Boston College stuns SMU in Fenway Bowl to end the season on a high note
- Despite change-up with ‘Toucher and Rich,’ The Sports Hub takes the top spot in fall Nielsen ratings
- Could Bruins look to red-hot prospect Georgii Merkulov for mid-season scoring spark?
- Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, Jakub Lauko needed to be rescued from an elevator on Christmas Night
- Jermaine Wiggins discussed his exit from coaching football at Brockton High School
- What experts are predicting for Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game
- Here’s who the Patriots are picking in the latest NFL mock drafts
An enduring image of college bowl season: In the actual Pop-Tarts Bowl game, Kansas State defeated N.C. State 28-19.
Mikaela Shiffrin is at it again: The American won her 93rd career World Cup race (extending her own record) earlier on Friday on a difficult course in Lienz, Austria. A day after also winning the giant slalom, Shiffrin dominated the slalom with an incredible 2.34-second margin of victory.
On this day: In 2002, the Patriots won a wild regular-season finale over the Dolphins 27-24 in overtime. Needing to win to keep playoff hopes alive (and deny Miami a division-clinching win), New England struggled initially against running back Ricky Williams.
Though Williams ended the day rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, the Patriots had the last word. Rallying from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, Tom Brady and Kevin Faulk led New England back for the win.
Despite the dramatic victory, the day ended in disappointment for the Patriots, however, as the Jets — having started the season 2-5 — beat the Packers to finish 9-7 and win the AFC East in a tiebreaker.
Daily highlight: In what proved to be a consequential goal, Brighton defender Pervis Estupinan scored an absolute rocket to give his team a 3-0 lead over Tottenham in a Thursday Premier League matchup. Brighton conceded two goals late in the game but still emerged with a 4-2 win.
Trivia answer: Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Harold Jackson, Joey Galloway
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