Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller has established himself as the darling of 2018 training camp. Except this time it’s not another underdog story that fans are latching onto. The general consensus from everybody who’s seen him up close is the same. This kid is legit and he’s got a chance to dominate right from the start in this new offense.
The evidence is right there in practice every day. Miller is already working with the first team offense. He’s going against starting corners like Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara all the time. These guys are proven veteran who helped the Bears defense finish 10th overall in the league last year. Both are also having strong camps and Miller has made each of them look like they might be the rookies on more than one occasion.
He is a confident young man. Nobody is going to outwork him and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed. Up until now, he’s kept the rookie mindset, focusing on his work. However, Miller is an outspoken person too. Not only is he active on Twitter, he also has his own blog. A place where he offers a look into his mindset.
It’s also where, in his most recent post, he showed how comfortable he’s becoming as a leader.
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Anthony Miller promises greatness and also demands it from teammates
Most of the post, titled “Ready For Impact” was an assertion by Miller that this team is ready to take off. He’s learned so much already both from his fellow receivers like Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel along with veteran corners like Amukamara and Marcus Cooper. His most eye-opening statement though came during his praise for Mitch Trubisky.
Intended or otherwise, it feels like Miller may have slipped in a small critique for some of his fellow receivers.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to focus on what got me in the league in the first place: my hands. I want Mitch to know that if he throws the ball my way that I am going to catch it – whatever the cost. Whether I have to go up and snag a pass or make a catch in traffic, there’s no excuse for drops in the league.”
It’s interesting that Miller would use that phrase. Drops are a theme that has followed the Bears receiving corps early this year. There’s been a number of problems with it in practice and then they had three brutal ones in the Hall of Fame game against Baltimore. One of which by Bennie Fowler that cost them a touchdown.
Bennie Fowler is just as good at dropping Mitch Trubisky’s passes as he was at dropping Siemian’s. #HallofFameGame pic.twitter.com/s9uNo7NvFj
— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) August 3, 2018
Tough drop there. pic.twitter.com/WZDrJATeDZ
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) August 5, 2018
He’s not wrong. It’s just interesting that he said it. This is the latest sign that Miller isn’t going to wait for his turn at becoming a leader on this team. He’s going to seize it himself and dare anybody else to stop him. He already makes consistent plays in practice and is earning respect from teammates. The only thing left is for him to duplicate it in games.
He may be saying this stuff in his blog for now, but it wouldn’t surprise if he starts doing it vocally so everybody can hear it before this season is over.
