The rookie should be able to help the Carolina Panthers down the road despite his struggles right now.
The advice that Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is giving rookie linebacker Christian Miller is interesting. It’s something that you probably wouldn’t normally do as a football player. Reacting to a play instead of reading it is something the head coach wants to instill in the mind of the rookie.
We haven’t really heard too much about Miller over the course of training camp. In what is an impactful rookie class, Miller has kind of taken a backseat to the rest of the hype surrounding the others. Nevertheless, he seems to be progressing through training camp. With that in mind, there are certainly some bumps along the way.
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Miller comes from a Nick-Saban led Alabama program that provided him with an opportunity to succeed. As a senior in 2018, he played in 14 games and recorded 30 tackles. His eight sacks were fifth overall in the SEC, and he had a pass deflection and fumble recovery to boot. He truly was an all-around player. Now, he looks to translate those skills to the National Football League. However, it appears that he is suffering some bumps in the road.
At the end of the day, I could definitely see him being an impact player for the Carolina Panthers. He isn’t necessarily going to be a guy that makes headlines I don’t think, but he is going to be a dependable player that the team can count on. Particularly in this defense, he should be an asset for the Carolina Panthers. With this defense slated to be one where lineman move around a little bit more, Miller should be able to fit in nicely. Nevertheless, he definitely needs a bit more time to adjust to life in the National Football League.
"“I knew it would be tough. I knew there would be hard days and good days,” Miller said. “After being in the playbook for months now, I pretty much have that down. At this point it’s about the mechanics and the details and finding what works for me. Just trying to take coaching and apply it every day.”"
I was certainly excited about him when the Carolina Panthers drafted him. His speed and his solid tackling ability should both be assets to a team that missed some of that last year. Although he will have to really stand out on what is an experienced linebacking unit, Miller could certainly make a name for himself in no time. Right now, it just seems like he is adjusting to life in the National Football League.
As Christian Miller is learning, the NFL has its fair share of ups and downs. Hopefully, he can take the downs and use them as motivation to become a better player.