Steelers believe their new TE from small-town Virginia could be perfect fit
Sunday, April 24, 2005
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Everybody, it seems, knows Heath Miller in his hometown of Swords Creek, Va. The tiny coal and farming community is located about 45 minutes from Bristol, and the local high school has an enrollment of 340 students. Doug Hubbard, the head football coach for 22 years at Honaker High School, is like most of the townspeople. He has been friends with Earl and Denise Miller since their son, Heath, was born.
"I can't ever remember not knowing him," Hubbard said. "I watched him grow up and mature."
Yesterday was a big day in Swords Creek because Heath Miller, a former three-sport star at Honaker, was drafted in the first round by the Steelers. But it was an especially big day for Hubbard, who was thrilled his former all-state quarterback landed with the Steelers.
"I've been a Steelers fan since the 1970s," said Hubbard, 45. "I was thrilled to death. You couldn't ask for a better pick for me."
Funny, but the Steelers feel the same way.
They got a tight end to pair with Jerame Tuman, another pass-catcher to go with Hines Ward, and, according to Hubbard, a player with unquestionable character and impressive desire.
"My son is 4, and, if he grows up with a lot of the same characteristics and value Heath has, I'll be well-pleased," Hubbard said. "You see his stats and watch him play, yes, he's a hell of a player. But he's a better person than he is football player.
"I had an NFL scout call me not too long ago and I told him, if you want a rah-rah guy, you're after the wrong kid. But, if you want a football player, you got one."
That's exactly what the Steelers thought after they selected Miller, a junior from the University of Virginia and the consensus No. 1 tight end in the draft, with the 30th overall pick.
"He's a guy who can block, a guy who can stretch the field, a guy who fits our system very well," coach Bill Cowher said. "He gives you a unique combination. It's hard to find a guy who has those two qualities."
Miller has been compared in ability to Baltimore's Todd Heap, a two-time Pro Bowler, and in size (6 feet 5, 255 pounds) to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. But veteran NFL scout Dan Shonka said in an interview in The Sporting News that Miller "is a little better than Todd Heap was at this point."
The Steelers had four players targeted as a first-round selection, players whom they thought would be available at No. 30 -- Miller, Alabama-Birmingham wide receiver Roddy White, Southern California defensive tackle Mike Patterson and Mississippi tackle Marcus Johnson. Even though White was selected three picks earlier by the Atlanta Falcons, Miller was the player the Steelers coveted all along.
They had him rated as the No. 1 tight end in the draft. The Steele rs did not have the other players rated No. 1 at their respective position.
"Pretty good sitting at No. 30 to get the No. 1 guy on the board at his position," Cowher said.
"Some of the teams in front of us had very good tight ends, most of them Pro Bowlers," director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "We knew if Heath reached a certain point he could slide down, but you also worry about someone trading up from the bottom."
Miller went to Virginia as a quarterback, but he quickly evolved into a quarterback's favorite target.
Miller was a two-time all-state quarterback at Honaker. In three seasons as a starter, he accounted for 77 touchdowns. He was also an All-Virginia first baseman in baseball and was an all-district power forward in basketball.
"He's a real humble kid who works hard at everything he does," said Wayne Davis, Miller's uncle who lives about 100 yards from his nephew. "He's very focused. He doesn't let a whole lot of things distract him."
Miller was selected the Virginia High School Coaches Association Group A offensive player of the year as a senior. He combined to pass for more than 3,370 yards and 45 touchdowns as a sophomore and junior. He also rushed for 1,544 yards during his sophomore and junior years.
But, when Miller went to Virginia, he was redshirted as a freshman and converted to tight end after the season when Al Groh replaced George Welsh as head coach.
"I knew going into college that was always an option," Miller said. "When I first came to Virginia, they had a number of good quarterbacks and I didn't see myself playing anytime soon. I just wanted to be on the field."
It was some conversion.
As a sophomore, he caught 70 passes from quarterback Matt Schaub. Last season, after Schaub graduated, Miller's numbers dwindled to 41 receptions, but that still accounted for nearly 25 percent of quarterback Marques Hagans' completions. Part of the reason: Miller played most of the season with a sports hernia, an injury that required postseason surgery and scared off some NFL teams. In three seasons, Miller had 144 catches and 20 touchdowns, an Atlantic Coast Conference record for a tight end.
Miller also had multiple arthroscopic knee procedures at Virginia, but the Steelers have cleared him medically to play. He will not participate in minicamp in two weeks, but Cowher said he will be ready for training camp in July.
"It's tough for me to come off the field, so that really wasn't an option for me," Miller said, explaining why he played with the sports hernia.
Speaking of option, Miller's presence means the Steelers could have as many as three former quarterbacks catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger (Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El are the others). As a redshirt freshman, Miller threw a 20-yard touchdown pass against South Carolina.
"We got enough guys on this team who can throw the ball," said offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, smiling.
Asked if the Steelers would like to use him like Heap, who lines up in several spots on the field, Whisenhunt said, "It's like anything -- the system will take care of that. If he shows he can do some things, you'll develop some plays for him. As he has success, maybe you can do some things that will take advantage of his strengths. But you don't design them until you see what he can do."
Miller is 12 credits shy of a degree in sociology and plans to graduate in May. The diploma will say Earl Miller, his full name. Heath was a nickname given him by his mother, who was a fan of the old western TV series "The Big Valley." One of the characters on the show was Heath Barkley, played by actor Lee Majors.
Miller's greatest achievement, though, might be putting Swords Creek on the map. Right now, it isn't even on a map of Virginia.
"We don't have a stop light in Swords Creek, if that tells you anything," Davis said.
Perhaps. But they have Heath Miller.
(Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.)
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