Wondering why so many think Lamar Miller is a lock to start?

[ckparrothead]

They also had a view that Lamar Miller needs to work on his body and get football strong. That was the view they had when they took him, that his body was underdeveloped. When you combine that with the injuries he was trying to get healthy from, it's not surprising they wanted to test drive him a little rather than a lot in his rookie year, just to make sure they have what they think they have, before they put a load on him.

[Geforce]

I've heard this a few times but I think it's just an educated guess by us fans. I could be wrong but I have not seen any proof that Miller has played less because of his blocking. Sounds logical though

A lot of rookie running backs struggle with their pass protection responsibilities. It's not the physical part of it but the mental.

Here's a pretty good article that might explain why Miller didn't play as much as many wanted him to.

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"I've got to continue to know my opponent better, watch more film and learn what I need to work on to get better in practice," Miller said. "I'm working on being more physical running the ball, and in pass protection. I've got to hit the holes and stop dancing with the rock.

"Sometimes I'm too patient," said Miller, whom numerous teammates praise based on what they've seen from practices, and his few in-game opportunities. "This is a fast league. I'm not going to run away from everybody. I've got to hit it and get positive yards."

Bush, a six-year veteran who also struggles with pass blocking, said the key for Miller is to "play fast mentally" when it comes to his blocking assignments.

"I think Lamar does a great job in pass protection. I think that's one of his strong suits," Bush said. "I think the most important thing for him is fundamentally being in the right place. He can take a guy on pretty well one-on-one and so, for him, he's just going to have to make sure he's in the right place."

Coach Joe Philbin, who has established a reputation for being candid about his players, stressed that Miller's played well in his opportunities. But he also pointed out there's more to the tailback position than running with the ball.

"I think the running part come naturally to him," Philbin said. "Before you put a running back in the game, [lining] him up in the backfield, you have to make sure his pass protection responsibilities are taken care of. That's probably as important as anything else."

[Adam Strange]

Miller is a lock because his competition is Thomas.

[sirvmac]

I agree but I would say the same in relation Bush to miller although more like 70-30

That is a fair point. I humbly beg to differ though, I'm more impressed with Lamar as a runner than Reggie Bush.
But to each his own I guess lol.
I would like a 80-20 split carries in favor of Lamar over Bush. I like Bush's skill set, I just feel he should be used more in the passing game.
I definitely would want him on the field more often than not.
But as a straight runner, carrying the ball, definitely I prefer Lamar over Bush.
I don't think Bush has the vision and patience Lamar has running the ball.
Bush is made for the open field.
Lamar imho is a much more natural running back.

[sm0kinfins]

If Miller is indeed the man going forward, I hope he's been studying this offseason.

[sirvmac]

They also had a view that Lamar Miller needs to work on his body and get football strong. That was the view they had when they took him, that his body was underdeveloped. When you combine that with the injuries he was trying to get healthy from, it's not surprising they wanted to test drive him a little rather than a lot in his rookie year, just to make sure they have what they think they have, before they put a load on him.

This is the major concern, and really the only one imho. Durability.
As long as he is on the field for us, we will be looking real nice
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[tay0365]

Daniel Thomas is a big man who tries to run like he's a 175 lbs, guy is so scared of contact is ridiculous. Besides, miller has the skill set, patience and explosion you want in this offense.

My feeling was that Thomas was getting carries last year because they were trying to force him into being the rb Ireland was hoping he drafted. He clearly isnt. I won't be surprised if Jonas gray takes over daniels carries in all honesty.

I agree, kind of looking forward to seeing what Gray can do. As for Miller, maybe we can't be positive that Miller will be able to handle the premier RB position, but as a Rookie, in limited time last year, he was everything you can ever expect from a rookie, and more.

[NY8123]

Miller has a handful of really nice skills and they fool people into believing he'll suddenly put it all together. I remember plenty of daft comparisons a couple of years ago, when Miller was entering his first season as full time starter for the Canes. Posters on Miami message boards wanted to believe he was a combination of O.J. Anderson, Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis. By the end of the season many of those same posters wanted Miller to leave early, replaced by a markedly superior player in Duke Johnson.

I suspect the same trend will attach to Dolphin fans this year. They'll want to believe Miller will get small and dart through openings north and south but with none of the hesitation of Reggie Bush. And that will unfold on occasion. But then the weaknesses show up, the ones that caused him to be redshirted as a freshman, drop to the 4th round, and then rarely play as a rookie. It always amuses me when trends like that are ignored. O.J. Anderson was a phenom as a rookie, likewise James and Portis. I don't think any of them gained fewer than 1500 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Miller rarely was trusted with the ball last year other than friendly situations. But we can make the happy 40% subjective adjustment and compare him to those guys. No problem.

Dumb players will let you down. I remember standing on the sideline at USC practices, hearing Marv Goux mutter that phrase time and again, varying it slightly blended with profanity. But the theme was always the same, and it works.

Until you mentioned him in your post for a moment I thought you were talking about Reggie Bush lol. One word interchangeable.

[dlockz]

Until you mentioned him in your post for a moment I thought you were talking about Reggie Bush lol. One word interchangeable.

Miller does not have close to the hands that Bush has

[Dolphinokie]

I like miller n I think he earned n deserves the chance to be the starter