*Miller :Eyes: Sophomore Surge

[dropbear]

The Colorado Yeti selected wide receiver Howard Miller with the first pick of the Season 7 NSFL draft in the hopes that he would help elevate what was an underwhelming offensive unit in years past. Alongside fellow offensive draftees Ryan Applehort and Mark Grau, Miller was part of a substantial push to make the Yeti a formidable attacking team in seasons to come. A year removed from his explosive season in the DSFL, the promising young receiver still ranks at #2 for both the number of receptions and total yards in a single season. So, how did he shape up against expectations once he hit the big time?

The Numbers

• Receptions: 45 (#31)
• Yards: 590 (#22)
• YPC: 13.1 (#22)
• Touchdowns: 1 (#T34)

At a glance, the numbers aren't anything phenomenal. Miller had less than half the number of receptions he tallied during his year in the DSFL, and less than half his yards total. His single touchdown was also half of his unremarkable touchdown count.

With that said, the Yeti offence as a whole was far from high-powered last season. Miller's volume stats alone might not seem impressive, but it would be more appropriate to compare his contributions to his team's totals against other receivers in the league.

Miller's 45 receptions account for 19.48% of the team's total, his 590 yards is 24.28% of all receiving yards amassed by the team, and his single touchdown is a clean 25% of all the Yeti's passing scores in S7.

The league's top receiver last season by receptions was Bradley Westfield with 89. His catches accounted for 24.38% of the Orange County Otters total. Westfield was also the leader in yards gained with 1620 yards, good for 31.91% of his team's total. When looking at touchdowns Westfield once again comes out on top, hauling in 15 in S7, which was 37.5% of all the Otters' receiving touchdowns.

Miller was below Westfield on all counts, but this comes as no surprise. Miller was a rookie, and Westfield is arguably the best receiver in the short history of the NSFL. A reasonable expectation for a prospect as highly touted as Miller is to poke his nose into the top 10 of receivers in the league in his first season, so we'll see how he fared against the player who marked that boundary in every category.

Receptions
Eric Kennedy: 69 receptions (21.77% of team total)

Receiving Yards
Shane Weston: 1072 yards (28.37% of team total)

Touchdowns
Josh Garden: 6 touchdowns (17.65% of team total)

As you can see, Miller is within the top 10 for % of team receiving touchdowns, is right on the border for receptions, but still has some work to do for receiving yards.

When asked about his season, Miller made it clear that he wasn't overly satisfied with his performance.

"I knew things were going to be tough, coming into the season with a fellow rookie at QB and a young offence in general. With that said, I always expect a lot of myself, and so I was a bit disappointed with where my numbers ended up. Usually, I prioritise winning over individual stats, but knowing ahead of time that the Yeti weren't likely to win many games if any at all, I focused on trying to have some great performances".

Miller was asked about his lack of receiving touchdowns both in the NSFL and the DSFL where, between both, he has only found the endzone three times in two seasons.

"It's really been an issue of having big plays fall short. My YPC numbers have been good in my opinion - you can see that when I get the ball I'm being productive. What often happens, though, is that I'll break away and get stopped just before getting the points. It's sort of similar to the Megatron season a few years back in the NFL".

Miller was pressed about his lack of efficiency in the red zone.

"Yeah, that's something I have to own. When I made the switch from college to the DSFL, and then again from the DSFL to NSFL, I focused on getting that extra bit of speed - on having that extra step compared to my opponents. That's why when I get the ball, I can usually break a big run off. But once we're jammed in close near the goal line, guys have been getting physical and really throwing me off my game. But it's something I've addressed this offseason and will look to keep working on. I've been in the weight room a lot and am trying to learn to throw my body around a bit more. I think I'm just about as fast as I'll ever be, so it's time to start using that speed and my size to punish people, and get some damn touchdowns".

The Yeti coaching staff, Miller's teammates, the franchise's front office and the team's faithful fans will all certainly hope Miller can do exactly that, as they all stare down the barrel of a potential third winless season in a row. But only time will tell if a season of development has helped the Yeti's young offensive unit become more of a scoring threat.

Code:

750 words - ready for grading

[ExemplaryChad]

I'm curious to see Miller's numbers compared to Aaron (and no, I will NOT go look them up). You guys are always going to be going neck and neck, I think.

And yeah, it's a damn shame your numbers were down. Still counting down to the future. Let's start getting anybody in the end zone, and then we'll worry about who's not performing where, haha.

[dropbear]

I'm curious to see Miller's numbers compared to Aaron (and no, I will NOT go look them up). You guys are always going to be going neck and neck, I think.

And yeah, it's a damn shame your numbers were down. Still counting down to the future. Let's start getting anybody in the end zone, and then we'll worry about who's not performing where, haha.

Miller: 45 - 590 (13.1 YPC) - 1TD

Aaron: 42 - 554 (13.2 YPC) - 3 TD

[ExemplaryChad]

Miller: 45 - 590 (13.1 YPC) - 1TD

Aaron: 42 - 554 (13.2 YPC) - 3 TD

 

Man, can you imagine when Applehort can start getting the ball to you guys? We're just gonna have 2 number one options. Gonna be bangin'.

[infinitempg]

pls score more TDs i need the extra point stats

[TheMemeMaestro]

pls score more TDs i need the extra point stats

If we had better situations for you to get XP and FG, you would be unanimous KOTY imo

[timeconsumer]

Changing a couple things on your build would improve your TDs significantly.