Whenever you hear discussion about the game's great tight ends, the Steelers Heath Miller is rarely, if ever at all, mentioned. Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, of course, are the two names that dominate the discussion. The Giants Jeremy Shockey and the Cowboys Jason Witten will get a nod. Same with Kellen Winslow. And even though nobody would dare claim Dallas Clark, Vernon Davis, and Todd Heap as the best at their position, you can frequently hear them mentioned as integral components of their teams' offenses.
Not Heath though. When the Steelers are brought up in national discussions, Big Ben, Fast Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and now Santonio Holmes are the names mentioned. Nary a word about Mr. Miller.
And that's too bad, because Miller is quietly having a phenomenal season. To the numbers (league rank among TEs in parentheses):
Receptions: 31 (12)
Receiving Yards: 421 (7)
Yards Per Catch - of TEs with more than 10 catches: 13.6 (2)
Touchdowns: 6 (t-1st)
Catches of 20+ yards: 9 (t-2nd)
1st Down % - of TEs with more than 10 catches: 77.4 % (1)
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Looks like a top 5 TE to me. What do the numbers indicate? He catches a high number of balls for the offense he's in; he's money in the red-zone; when he catches the ball, it's usually for a 1st down; and he has the athleticism to get down the field quick enough to have a healthy average per catch.
While it miffs me that Heath Miller is so overlooked by most NFL fans and pundits, I'm just fine with that, and I'd bet Heath is to (at least for now). You can bet though that GMs around the league know about Heath Miller and will be more than willing to open their checkbooks when he becomes a free agent in 2010. Once again the Steelers struck gold again in the draft, and I hope we're able to enjoy this under-appreciated talent for years to come.