Bucs Film Room: Miller’s Redemption Game

Five weeks into the 2022 NFL season, and the Bucs have had quite the carousel at wide receiver already. Here are the top four receiver snap counts from each week this season:

Week 1: Mike Evans/Julio Jones/Breshad Perriman/Russell Gage

Week 2: Perriman/Gage/Evans/Scotty Miller

Week 3: Miller/Gage/Perriman/Jaelon Darden

Week 4: Evans/Godwin/Gage/Jones

That brings us to Week 5. With Perriman and Jones both ruled out due to various injuries, it was bound to be another change on the snap count leaderboard.

And a change there was.

Evans led the way, followed by Gage, Godwin and Miller.

If you asked many Bucs fans prior to the game, they would be loath to see Miller’s name in the top four.  Miller has experienced quite the fall from grace in the minds of Bucs faithful since his second quarter catch in the NFC Championship Game in 2020.

An injury-marred 2021 season left him all but forgotten heading into this season. Then most were surprised to see him and Perriman win roster spots coming out of training camp over other receivers such as Tyler Johnson and Deven Thompkins.

And coming into Sunday’s game Miller had failed to produce in the limited action he had been given. Miller sported four catches on 13 targets for a total of 38 yards on the year. And most would remember some of his non-catches more that his actual grabs.

But in Week 5 things changed for Miller. While the stat line isn’t jaw-dropping (four catches on seven targets for 35 yards), it was the usage that caught my eye. So, I thought it would be fun to show how Miller was used within the Bucs scheme, along with his overall effectiveness on the day.

He’s Still Fast And Can “Go”

Miller burst on the scene as a speed guy, showing that his 4.39 40-yard dash time translates to in-game speed. And you can see that speed was still evident on Sunday. And the Bucs tried to take advantage of it when they got Miller in a favorable matchup.

With a single-high safety Brady can tell he is most likely getting either Cover 1 (man-coverage) or Cover 3. Based on the offensive play-call, no matter which of the two coverages it ends up being there is a really good chance Miller is going to end up one-on-one against Casey Hayward. He has been a quality corner in the NFL for a long time, but speed has long left his skill repertoire. This was a matchup advantage for the Bucs.

Watch Brady as he gets to the top of his drop on the end zone angle. He checks the free safety and sees he has committed to pinching to Evans on the opposite side of the field. So, Brady decides to let it rip knowing that Miller should be able to beat Hayward deep on the fade. That’s precisely what Miller is able to do.

At one point Miller has at least two yards of separation. Unfortunately, the play isn’t able to hit as Brady underthrows the route. But Miller does everything you would expect from his skillset and the Bucs put him in position to succeed with a play-call designed to isolate him against a corner that would struggle with his speed.

The Bucs would go back to this well on their final drive of the game against cornerback Dee Alford, who was an undrafted free agent that came to the Falcons by way of the Canadian Football League.

On second-and-5 the Bucs get the same Cover 1 look from Atlanta. Off of play-action, Brady works left to right on his progressions and sees once again Miller is going to be isolated against a slower defensive back. And once again Brady lets it rip. Miller beats Alford on the fade and ends up hauling in the pass despite an obvious defensive pass interference that was not called. In the box score this goes as an incompletion. But Miller does everything you want him to except maybe allowing his route to get leveraged a bit too far wide, forcing him to contend with the sideline more than he needed to.

Less Comebacks, More Digs

In Weeks 2 and 3 when Miller got snaps the Bucs had him run a decent number of routes that required him to make plays at the sideline. Comebacks and out-routes were paired with the fades he is known for. These routes are typically more successful when run by bigger receivers with large frames and a bigger catch radius. Miller is a small receiver with a small catch radius. And so larger defensive backs have been bodying him, forcing him out of bounds before he could establish his feet and the catch.

In Week 5 the Bucs changed things up, giving Miller a lot more in-breaking routes that allowed him to work the middle of the field and not have to worry about using his body against a sideline. Here is an example of a dig route where Miller gets wide open in a huge gap in a zone scheme.

Miller is lined up at the bottom of your screen. The Falcons run a straight Cover 2 zone. Inside linebacker Rashaan Evans is a good cover linebacker. He has to drop deep in the center of the field. He makes sure he does not lose sight of slot receiver Russell Gage to the left of the offense. In doing so he leaves a giant hole in the middle of the field for Miller to sneak into from his backside. Miller does a good job of sitting in the zone. Unfortunately, Brady can’t deliver the pass after a pump-fake to Cade Otton to draw down the linebacker due to the pressure from Grady Jarrett winning inside.

Here is another example:

Miller is opposite the concept-side of this play, and so Brady never looks his way. But look at the route and the way the corner plays him. There is so much respect for his deep speed on the nine route that the corner full sells out to protect against it. He fully shades his hips to the outside to be able to run deep. When Miller cuts inside on the dig, the corner is caught on the stem and left far behind.

Shorter Routes

Being a short white guy, Miller has long been compared to receivers like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and the recently retired Bucs great Cole Beasley. And while those who truly follow the team know that Miller is very different from those players – and the slot position is used quite differently in Tampa Bay than it was in New England  –it hasn’t stopped people from calling for Miller to run quicker in-breaking routes like those other receivers.

Well, on Sunday offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich obliged to a degree.

From the inside slot Miller runs a short slant and makes a “grimy” catch with the safety bearing down him. In the Bucs offense you won’t see Miller in the slot much, but it’s nice to see him come up with a catch like that when he does get the opportunity.

From the top of your screen, you see Miller come across the line on a shallow dig against what appears to be man coverage once again. Otton is able to give Miller tons of room underneath by clearing out for him. Miller’s speed again is a factor, as the cornerback is giving him tons of room on the cushion. So, when Miller breaks in he is wide open for the hot route against the same-side blitz. This goes for an easy completion that helps the offense continue to move.

Could This Be Foreboding?

Four catches for 35-yards is anything but sexy. But it was a giant step forward for Miller in the Bucs offense. Leftwich was able to create opportunities for Miller to get involved with route-combinations he previously wasn’t running much. Miller was also able to impact the game with his patented speed with a couple of deep shots that almost hit. No drops for the diminutive speedster.

The deep shots will start hitting again if the process continues to be sound. And just one 40-yard shot added to a stat line like Sunday’s, and you have a box score that matches the on-field performance Miller put in against the Falcons.