sportsjabber.net

Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Pittsburgh Steelers Tight End Heath Miller play knows that he is an extremely special player with a very unique skill set.

He is the epitome of what a tight end should be, and has the perfect skill set to play the position. He can, in essence, block like a tackle and catch like a receiver. Thus giving his offense a multitude of options on when to use him and when to play him. When need be, he even lines up at the fullback position.

Miller also gives opposing defenses severe match-up problems, his 6’5’’, 256 lb. frame makes it hard for safeties and linebackers to cover him one on one, and he absolutely excels when facing zone coverage.

Earlier this week, I commented on rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace benefiting from being teamed up with a pair of Super Bowl MVP’s in Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Miller benefits from the exact same thing.

With opposing defenses choosing to limit the amount of damage that the dynamic duo do to them, they allow the short routes by Miller and running backs Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, and Mewelde Moore to be open. By choosing their poison, the defense chooses to not allow the deep ball, while giving up the short routes to the flats and middle of the field.

The Steelers offense asks the tight end to block well, and catch passes in critical situations. That’s the job of a traditional tight end. Whereas lately in the NFL we’re seeing tight ends that are really more like wide receivers. Tight ends such as Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez, San Diego’s Antonio Gates, Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow Jr, and Indianapolis’ Dallas Clark.

Miller knows full well that the reason his yards per catch average has dropped from 11.5 over his career to 7.5 this season is because of the added threat of Holmes ever since showing his skill last year. Due to double coverage on Holmes, Miller has been able to have space to get open in the middle of the field.

He currently has 24 receptions, only two behind Ward (who leads the Steelers in receptions) and is on track (should he keep it up) to reach 96 receptions, which would tie the amount that Gonzalez reached last year with Kansas City.

It’s very improbable that he will keep putting out the numbers this year as Pittsburgh attempts to run the ball more and more, but it’s certainly not unlikely. Either way, his numbers are exceeding expectations of everyone – including Pittsburgh’s Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians.

I’ve always believed that Miller was a top NFL tight end, and now he’s just making that case even stronger. With his skill set as far as blocking and receiving go, I’ll take him over more talented pass catches like Gates and Clark.

More…

http://fanhuddle.com/pittsburghsteelers/2009/10/10/heath-miller-proving-that-hes-one-of-leagues-best/