It was on Oct. 29 that linebacker Milo Eifler arrived in Arizona to try out for the Cardinals and to then be signed to the practice squad.
Four weeks later and after only his third week of practice with the team, Eifler had the honor of wearing the No. 40 jersey as Scout Team Player of the Week for his work prior to last week’s game against the Seahawks.
He said, “I got here before the bye and tried to get acclimated to a new team, new system (having been) in the league for a little bit and picking up what coaches ask, being very detail oriented. Coach JG does a great job of allowing the players to know their roles, but at the same time being able to expand their role.”
Eifler, who played college ball at Washington and Illinois, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jets in 2021. He’s played 15 NFL games with three and 10 for the Commanders, respectively in 2021 and 2022, and then two for the Falcons in 2023.
He played mostly on special teams and had six defensive snaps for the Commanders in a 2022 game against the Eagles. He was with the Falcons throughout the offseason and training camp this year, but was waived/injured on Aug. 27, placed on injured reserve the following day and then waived from IR on Oct. 21 before coming to the Cardinals the following week.
Eifler said he had to “try and learn special teams, talk to (special teams) Coach (Jeff) Rodgers and understand that and my position coach Sam (Siefkes), trying to understand the defense, picking up the pace slowly, but surely really honing in (knowing) if you’re a practice squad guy, the majority of the time you’re going to be a scout team guy.
“So making sure I’m putting in a little extra time watching the opposing team, just so that the offense can get that right look and knowing their middle linebacker is probably their best player, you want to emulate how he’s going to play or the style that the defense is so that can help my game and help our team prepare.”
Eifler was born in February of 1998, two months before Tillman was selected in the seventh round of the draft. He also grew up in the Oakland area, not far from where Tillman spent his youth.
Eifler said it’s been great this week “kind of recognizing Pat Tillman and how he’s honored by this organization and he’s also being from the Bay. I’m a Bay Area guy, so it’s always good to represent the Bay Area.
“It’s just an honor knowing that he was a hard worker and I pride myself doing the gritty work and doing whatever it takes to help my team win. It’s an honor being able to put that jersey on and it gives you an extra chip on your shoulder.”
Noting how the Cardinals have preserved Tillman’s locker, Eifler said, “I took a picture of it and sent it to my family immediately. It’s nice having some recognition in the building.”
That family includes his adoptive parents David Eifler and Rachel Morello-Frosch, who both are professors at Cal-Berkeley.
Morello-Foesch has a master’s and doctorate degree in public health and teaches in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and School of Public Health. In 2021, she was on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the next year was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine for being a “renowned expert on structural determinants of environmental health inequities” and a “leader in the application of community-engaged data science.”
Eifler said his mom, a breast cancer survivor, counseled him during the pandemic when he was deciding whether to play in 2020 at Illinois, which he did.
“Anything health related, she was kinda on top of it,” Eifler said. “She was so involved in COVID. I took care of my health with her help trying to broaden my horizons bigger than football.”
Which makes it important to him that he is wearing the jersey of someone that created a legacy beyond football.
Despite being from the northern California area, Eifler said, “I wasn’t aware of his name until I started playing for the Pac-12 at Washington. I wasn’t introduced to him at a younger age because I wasn’t around football until I started playing football pretty late in my junior year of high school.
“When I went to play at Arizona State (in 2017) and saw his statue, I realized the significance of what he stood for. Now being part of the organization, you can’t forget about it.”
2024 Pat Tillman Scout-Team Award Winners
Week 1: RB Michael Carter (practice squad)
Week 2: LB Markus Bailey (practice squad)
Week 3: WR Andre Baccellia (practice squad)
Week 4: OL Jon Gaines II
Week 5: WR Xavier Weaver
Week 6: DL P.J. Mustipher (practice squad)
Week 7: S Joey Blount
Week 8: WR Chris Moore (practice squad)
Week 9: OLB Ronnie Perkins (practice squad)
Week 10: QB Clayton Tune
Week 12: LB Milo Eifler (practice squad)
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