NEWSLETTER
Silver linings have been few and far between for the 2019 Chicago Bears, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
But Anthony Miller coming into his own has been a sight to behold. And listening to Miller talk about his own growth is exactly what I needed to hear to have something to attach hope to when thinking about the 2020 season.
Check this out:
Miller has a knack for creating separation with his route-running, which leads to an ability to make huge chunk plays. But it’s heartening to hear Miller discuss turning those plays into a new norm (rather than an occasional flash in the pan). And so are his thoughts on quarterback Mitch Trubisky, whom he credits for helping him along the way.
“When we’re on that field, he’ll tell you,” Miller said. “We talk to each other, motivate each other, tell each other ‘let’s go, we got to pick it up.’ He tells me what I can do better, I tell him when I feel like I’m open. I feel like the chemistry is just getting better and better each and every game, each and every practice.”
Trubisky has found an open Miller at an eye-opening rate in recent weeks. Miller has 33 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns in his last five games. This snapshot of Miller’s 2019 season is what the Bears were hoping when they traded their 2019 second-round pick to move back into the second round of the 2018 draft to select the Memphis product. His route-running has been crisp, hands have been reliable, and big-play ability has been on display. And these numbers (when extrapolated over a full 16-game season) bear out to a 106-catch, 1,379-yard, 6-touchdown season. Again, this is the stuff that starting-caliber NFL receivers is made of — and Miller appears to have it.
To be fair, there is a trap that comes with extrapolating small samples of stat lines over the course of 16 games, but Miller’s recent run of excellence stands out as something more than just a flash because we have seen the little things add up to big plays. Miller has two more games to show that this isn’t just a blip, and going up against a Chiefs defense – which fantasy football insider Graham Barfield notes has allowed the sixth-most catches to slot receivers this year – is a great opportunity. With that in mind, this would be a good time to deploy Miller exclusively out of the slot, let him eat, and put on a good show for the Soldier Field crowd in the home finale.
