No need for Steelers to shoo away Heath Miller

Gene Collier: No need for Steelers to shoo away Heath Miller

May 31, 2015
By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The meeting lasted about five minutes and probably produced very little of anything Heath Miller hadn’t heard 100 times before, but on the Steelers practice field after organized team activities one day this week, it was somehow necessary that tight ends coach James Daniel confer with Heath Miller and the half-dozen or so men who would be Heath Miller.

As at no time before, the restless clamor among the fan base to identify and draft the next great Steelers tight end began to crescendo this spring.

One would hope they all realize that the next great Steelers tight end might get here eventually, but there might never be another Heath Miller...

to read rest of article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/gene-collier/2015/05/31/Gene-Collier-No-need-for-Steelers-to-shoo-away-Heath-Miller/stories/201505310156

we dont need a speedy TE. we need an experienced guy who can manipulate lb's and the secondary, clear underneath, and work the middle of the field, have reliable hands, and move the chains.

we need a TE that blocks well, can catch the ball, can protect the ball, and can get down field when necessary.

stlrtruck wrote:

we need a TE that blocks well, can catch the ball, can protect the ball, and can get down field when necessary.

So basically, we need Heath Miller.

Lokki wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

we need a TE that blocks well, can catch the ball, can protect the ball, and can get down field when necessary.

So basically, we need Heath Miller.  

Yes sir.

Lokki wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

we need a TE that blocks well, can catch the ball, can protect the ball, and can get down field when necessary.

So basically, we need Heath Miller.  

Steelers teammates: Miller might have lost step but still a threat

Heath Miller is the fourth-oldest tight end in the NFL:

Name Team Age* Exp. Starts Rec. Yds. TDs

Antonio Gates Chargers 35 12 172 788 10,014 99

Ben Watson Saints 34 11 103 360 4,138 32

Jason Witten Cowboys 33 12 181 943 10,502 57

Heath Miller Steelers 32 10 152 532 6,034 43

* — as of opening day

By Mark Kaboly
Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Heath Miller never was fast. Still, he always was quick enough to sneak through the secondary or outrun a linebacker.

Not anymore.

Reconstructive knee surgery 2 1⁄2 years ago robbed Miller, 32, of what playmaking speed he had left. Now he has become a catch-and-tackle guy: He catches the ball and then gets tackled.

Thing is, not many players can prevent him from catching the ball — not even his teammates during the first two weeks of organized team activities.

“You know he is not going to outrun you down the field anymore,” linebacker Sean Spence said. “Still, he finds a way to get open and make contested catches.”

That was on full display Wednesday during the fifth of 10 OTAs.

Miller caught two red-zone touchdowns that may have covered a total of 5 yards. Later, he faked out Spence over the middle and turned in some run-after-the-catch yards.

“Only Heath knows how to do it like that,” Spence said.

Miller now uses his mind more than his body to get open. When players are younger, they take advantage of their physical attributes. As players age, they rely more on their mind.

That's how Miller sees it.

“It kind of evens itself out,” Miller said. “I have probably seen about every look I can see and have been in all types of situations, and there is a comfort level in knowing that and recognizing things and having a feel for what's going to happen before it happens.”

Linebacker Jarvis Jones has experienced that first-hand during the first couple of weeks of OTAs as Miller always seems to find a way to get open when Jones is covering him.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8481915-74/miller-gates-heath#ixzz3cD2Rkhaf

Heath Miller’s Quiet Leadership Proves Effective

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/06/heath-millers-quiet-leadership-proves-effective/ …

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

Steelers teammates: Miller might have lost step but still a threat

Heath Miller is the fourth-oldest tight end in the NFL:

Name Team Age* Exp. Starts Rec. Yds. TDs

Antonio Gates Chargers 35 12 172 788 10,014 99

Ben Watson Saints 34 11 103 360 4,138 32

Jason Witten Cowboys 33 12 181 943 10,502 57

Heath Miller Steelers 32 10 152 532 6,034 43

* — as of opening day

By Mark Kaboly
Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Heath Miller never was fast. Still, he always was quick enough to sneak through the secondary or outrun a linebacker.

Not anymore.

Reconstructive knee surgery 2 1⁄2 years ago robbed Miller, 32, of what playmaking speed he had left. Now he has become a catch-and-tackle guy: He catches the ball and then gets tackled.

Thing is, not many players can prevent him from catching the ball — not even his teammates during the first two weeks of organized team activities.

“You know he is not going to outrun you down the field anymore,” linebacker Sean Spence said. “Still, he finds a way to get open and make contested catches.”

That was on full display Wednesday during the fifth of 10 OTAs.

Miller caught two red-zone touchdowns that may have covered a total of 5 yards. Later, he faked out Spence over the middle and turned in some run-after-the-catch yards.

“Only Heath knows how to do it like that,” Spence said.

Miller now uses his mind more than his body to get open. When players are younger, they take advantage of their physical attributes. As players age, they rely more on their mind.

That's how Miller sees it.

“It kind of evens itself out,” Miller said. “I have probably seen about every look I can see and have been in all types of situations, and there is a comfort level in knowing that and recognizing things and having a feel for what's going to happen before it happens.”

Linebacker Jarvis Jones has experienced that first-hand during the first couple of weeks of OTAs as Miller always seems to find a way to get open when Jones is covering him.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8481915-74/miller-gates-heath#ixzz3cD2Rkhaf

Lost a step?

Not like Heath was burning up the field with his blazing speed.

its like saying hines ward lost a step when he never had a step to begin with.

ben and miller have played their entire careers together. theres tons of chemistry there that speed cant trump.

miller is still good for another 2 years imo. sure he's lost a step, but speed was never what made him good in the first place.

i would like to see jesse james used on the goal line though as a jump ball target. 6'7? dude's like shaquille o'neal in football pads lol. Not to mention a 37" vertical leap which is ridiculous for somebody his size.

PRE-CAMP ANALYSIS: TEs

Bob Labriola
Steelers.com



The most important thing for the TE position is to get out of camp with Heath Miller healthy.

TIGHT ENDS

In terms of this position on this particular Steelers team, the top priority should be to get to the start of the regular season with Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth both healthy.

It was back on Dec. 23, 2012 – in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field – when Miller sustained a serious injury to his right knee. After spending all of the ensuing offseason rehabilitating from surgery, Miller opened training camp in 2013 on the physically unable to perform list. He improved enough to be inactive only for the first two games of the regular season before going on to finish with 58 catches for 593 yards and one touchdown.

The process of overcoming the kind of injury Miller had sustained often requires a full calendar year, and there were some who misinterpreted that with him being at the end of his career. Able to utilize the 2014 offseason to get himself ready for the rigors of an NFL season instead of being forced to rehabilitate a serious injury, Miller rebounded with a season in which he started all 16 games and finished with 66 catches for 761 yards and three touchdowns.

As a player who will be 33 in October, Miller remains far and away the best tight end the Steelers have, and he still is a valuable dual-threat weapon at the position. He can expect to get the occasional day off during the rigors of training camp and the preseason, because the Steelers need him and it’s not as though there’s any question about his ability to get the job done if healthy.

Spaeth will be 32 in late November, and his recent injury history dates back to the 2013 training camp, his first with the Steelers following his return from two seasons with the Chicago Bears. During that summer, Spaeth injured a foot, and it required surgery. He opened that season on the injured reserve/designated to return list, and he didn’t get onto the field until Dec. 8 against the Miami Dolphins. Then with an entire offseason to get his body ready for a season, Spaeth came back in 2014 to start 15 games and provide the offense with the in-line blocking it needs to make the running game a success.

That’s the situation at the top of the depth chart here, with the third spot totally up for grabs.

The candidates include Rob Blanchflower, Jesse James, Michael Egnew, and Cameron Clear.

to read rest of article:

http://www.steelers.com/news/article...0-e2e3bd00bad6

#3 TE battle will be interesting. I think James has the best shot, then Egnew if he shows he can block. Clear is the long shot....looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane is the scouting report.