If the Chicago Bears were to review the 2017 season, they’d be looking for points when things started to turn downhill. After a quick examination, it genuinely feels like it all started during that fateful day in New Orleans against the Saints. They had momentum going into the game. After two-straight wins they were 3-4. Another before the bye would put them at .500 halfway through a season for the first time since 2013. Then the Zach Miller play happened.
Things didn’t start well but towards the second half of the game the Bears seems to gain momentum when Mitch Trubisky lofted a beautiful past to the veteran tight end who seemed to catch it one-handed while also fighting off a defender for a touchdown. Sadly at the same time his left knee gave out, almost completely rupturing in every horrible way possible.
He was immediately rushed off the field in a cart and to a hospital. If losing a leader like him weren’t bad enough, the referees then overturned the touchdown call on the field. So the Bears were dealt two grievous blows in a span of seconds. Truth be told the team hasn’t been quite the same since that sequence.
Zach Miller journey right after injury is so harrowing
People heard later how bad the injury was. Miller was in danger of having to get his leg amputated due to ligaments and arteries in his knee being severed. Only emergency surgery could save him. What people don’t know is how close it actually came and how incredible the Bears training staff was in handling the situation.
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"I just remember telling the doc, 'Save my leg, please.'"
Zach Miller shares his emotional story, daily motivation and inspirational outlook. pic.twitter.com/CVbd5BvAeb
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 8, 2017
This is a firm reminder of just how far sports medicine in general has come over the past few decades. There’s a serious possibility that Miller would’ve lost his leg had this been 20 years ago. For all the flak the NFL gets about the concussion issue, it’s grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to diagnosing and treating major injuries of this sort.
Here’s hoping Miller makes a full recovery and is able to go out on his terms in the future. Or if he decides to step away from the game, that he reaches heights at his next adventure he never dreamed of in football.
