SteelerWatch

Tight ends haven’t played a very big role in Steeler football since the days of Eric Green. After he left, they were used primarily as decoys and extra blockers. But the arrival of Miller signaled a gradual change in that philosophy, which has now culminated with the departures of Bill Cowher and Ken Whisenhunt. Known more for his receiving abilities than his blocking, Miller came in as a perfect complement to run-oriented Jerame Tuman. Two seasons later, Tuman is the complement.

Miller, the team’s first-round pick following Ben Roethlisberger’s amazing 15-1 rookie season that ended one game too soon, really served as the missing link in the offense for the 2005 Super Bowl run.  With Hines Ward and then-Steeler Antwaan Randle El outside, now-retired Jerome Bettis and newfound sensation Willie Parker in the backfield, and a quarterback who was, at the time, undefeated in the regular season taking snaps, the team was virtually complete on offense.  But undrafted Tuman, who has never been known for his speed or receiving abilities, really didn’t supply the release valve in the middle of the field that could have potentially saved the Steelers in games like the 2004 AFC Championship loss to the Patriots.  Miller proved to be the remedy for what really ailed the Steelers.

Think back to the 2005 AFC Divisional playoff against the Colts.   The Steelers, long a running team, opened up with one of the prettiest, most memorable passes that didn’t score a touchdown — a 36-yar, high-arcing touch pass to Miller — to set the tone for the rest of the game.  He complete the game with three catches for 61 yards and a very important touchdown.

In his two seasons, Miller has amassed 73 catches for 852 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Contrast that to Jerame Tuman’s line in eight seasons as a Steeler: 42 receptions, 491 yards and six touchdowns.  Even Mark Bruener, who played the position in Pittsburgh before Tuman, only managed 137 catches for 1,197 and 16 touchdowns in 10 seasons.  At his current pace, Miller will surpass Bruener in all those categories by his fourth season.

The missing cog in the war machine?  The true reason for that fifth Lombardi trophy?  Maybe.  Just maybe.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 12th, 2007 at 6:45 am and is filed under My Opinion, Team Spotlight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.