|
There was nothing left for "Big Money" to accomplish in Charlottesville. Heath Miller was a relatively unknown quarterback when he first arrived at Virginia, but with the help of his coaches morphed into one of the greatest tight ends in school and ACC history. Every major school and ACC receiving record for tight ends eventually fell to the sure-handed Swords Creek native, including receptions (144), yards (1703), and touchdowns (20) in a career.
Blocking certainly wasn’t a problem for Miller either, as he developed into a devastating blocker during his final two seasons at Virginia. Even most Cavalier fans are willing to admit the fact that there was nothing for the 2004 Mackey Award winner to gain by coming back for his final year of eligibility at Mr. Jefferson’s "academic village." Sure, if he would’ve returned there would have been chatter of Virginia contending for the ACC title, but the Cavaliers already have future stars at tight end in Jon Stupar and Tom Santi. There is a long list of college players every year who allow the greenbacks to lure them to the NFL before they are actually ready, but Miller is certainly not one of them.
The best game of his career came in Virginia’s 35-21 victory against rival Virginia Tech in 2003, when Miller torched the Hokie secondary and hauled in 13 passes for 145 yards, both career highs for the standout tight end. It was amazing to me that Miller wasn’t even named as a finalist for the 2003 Mackey Award, when he posted better numbers than the award winner that year, Kellen Winslow, Jr., in four major receiving categories: catches( 70 to 60), yards (835 to 605), yards per catch (11.9 to 10.1) and touchdowns (6 to 1). Given the fact that Miller was Matt Schaub’s favorite receiving target that season may have been a part of it, but you certainly can’t punish "Big Money" for that. He’s been the best tight end in the country for the past two seasons, in my opinion, because you can’t ignore his eye-gouging statistics.There are several plays from his career that Virginia fans will forever remember: his beautifully lofted 20-yard touchdown pass against South Carolina in 2002, his leaping catch in the back of the end-zone against Duke in 2003, the pylon dive for a touchdown in the Clemson game in 2004, and his one-handed touchdown grab against Miami in 2004.
Virginia fans and college football fans around the country will surely miss watching Miller make those plays for the Cavaliers next season, but most of them also realize that he had nothing to gain by coming back. Nobody in their right mind would’ve come back for another year and risk injury if they had posted the numbers that "Big Money" has over the years. Don’t think for a second that Virginia fans wouldn’t welcome him back with open arms if he wanted to return; they realize that their gifted tight end is doing what is best for him.
If there is one fact that sticks out to me about Miller’s career it’s that he recently became only the second unanimous All-America in Cavalier history. Not only did he win the John Mackey Award this season, he was also a unanimous first-team All-America selection, and even raked in first team All-ACC honors as well.
Virginia head coach Al Groh’s quote about the selfless Miller says it all, "We fully support his decision to start his NFL career. Heath is one of the best players to have ever played at Virginia. He has done a great deal for our team and we appreciate and admire him." Many NFL scouts will be drooling over Miller, who stands at 6’5", 255 pounds but is oozing with athleticism and has enough speed to create mismatches against NFL linebackers. Everybody who has watched the NFL this season can clearly see how the tight end is revolutionizing the game and "Big Money" will help continue that trend. Rarely does a tight end have the remarkable blend of superb hands, size, and athleticism that Miller brings to the table, which is exactly why so many teams will want him on their roster. If coaches are looking for a receiver that can create mismatches and exploit defenses, then drafting Miller is a no-brainer. Coach Al Groh once said about Miller, "The ball just sticks on his hands. Certain players just have a knack for making that happen, and Heath is one of them." All I have left to say about Heath Miller is the message I have made for you throughout this column: take the letters at the beginning of each sentence (quotes don’t count), spell them out, and you’ll find an indisputable fact for the 2004 football season.
|
|
|
No comments yet - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
