Tight end Zach Miller is turning into a “Mr. Everything” of sorts for the Bears. In the Bears’ preseason victory against the Colts, Miller played nearly everywhere in his 21 snaps: in the backfield at fullback, next to the tackles in a three-point stance, in the slot as a receiver or in motion.
“It’s good,” Miller said this week after practice at Halas Hall. “It’s good to be back on the football field and show some versatility. [When] you line up in all those different spots, it helps us as an offense – be unpredictable.”
Becoming a more consistent blocker is a priority for Miller, who excels as a receiver. The Colts game featured an early learning experience, too. He was beaten to his inside by outside linebacker Erik Walden, who tackled running back Matt Forte for a two-yard loss.
“Tendency-wise, I’m trying to get outside of him on this one run and he knocked me inside,” said Miller, who spent all of last season on injured reserve after foot surgery. “That’s me trying to overstep that.”
Share Events on The CubeOverall, Miller, a former college quarterback, said he’s felt more natural in his blocking techniques, and that includes at fullback, where he needs to be lower in his leverage.
Miller takes pride in being many things for the Bears’ offense.
“That goes back to my quarterback days, just kind of knowing concepts,” Miller said. “You can’t really learn one specific spot. You’ve got to learn concepts and know conceptually what we’re doing all across the field.”
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