If Ever Bears Needed Anthony Miller to Step Up It's Now
If there's one receiver hard to figure this season for the Bears it's Anthony Miller.
It always seems to be this way for him.
When much is expected of Miller through his career, he seems not to produce. When the expectations have fallen, he shocks the world.
There are examples of this in 2020 over six games already, although he seemed finally to be getting past this fluctuation at the end of last season.
"I mean, I know what I'm capable of," Miller said. "I've been playing football for a long time. Each and every time I step out on that field, I know I have the chance to do something great. That's what drives me every time I go out there.
"I just know I can do something great that can contribute to the team in a good way. I'm just ready for that role."
Miller had the game-winning catch in Weeks 1 and 3 but vanished completely in Week 2 by being blanked. He's averaging just 10.6 yards a catch, a problem all Bears receivers seem to be having. But more was expected than 16 catches in six games for him. He's had only 93 receiving yards over the last five games.
If Miller was like Darnell Mooney and in his first year, such fluctuation in performance could be expected. But Miller should be in the offensive flow by now.
"It's definitely something I've learned to deal with, just accepting my role on the team and knowing when my number is called just stepping up to the plate when it's time," Miller said prior to the last Bears win. "I feel like I'm going to be more involved in the offense in these coming games and I'm just ready to step up to the challenge."
He hasn't, yet, as last week's three-catch, 8-yard effort showed.
It's possible Miller's touches could change as Nick Foles still fits better into an offense he's only been operating for four weeks.
"It hasn't been that tough to adjust to his playing style," Miller said. "He's pretty good at adjusting to how we run routes, so it's been actually fun doing new routes and just having to catch his ball.
"He throws a great ball out there and like I said before I'm just excited to see what we can do as an offense. I just know we're going to excel. I'm just ready to see it."
Miller's snaps have been reduced this year and some see it resulting from coaches liking Darnell Mooney's skills better, but it's more the result of the Bears using more personnel packages with multiple tight ends. Mooney does have more snaps than Miller, but the two play different positions. It's the slot corner spot they've taken out more to bring in two or three tight ends. They need the Z receiver spot Mooney plays on the field outside in some of those situations, while the slot receiver is a position replaced on the inside by an extra tight end.
Considering how inept their running game is, they might want to just forget doing this and keep Miller involved with multiple wide receiver sets as they had to do last year. It's about at that point.
Receivers coach Mike Furry suggested it's the receiver's job to do rather than postulate about why or how they're used.
"That's what we have to worry more about than how many catches we get," Furry said. "We just have to take advantage of our opportunities.”
Numerous fans were critical this week of Miller on social media, and in the past he at times had stayed off social media to maintain his focus. He engaged in an extremely light exchange with some of them this week, but it could be time for him to go back to the Mitchell Trubisky approach and stay off social media entirely.
His full attention is needed on upgrading the passing attack, especially without an accompanying running attack and specifically this week as it seems the Rams have the type of secondary necessary to offset Allen Robinison.
In fact, the Bears have hit a stretch now of difficult games.
So Miller's full talents will be needed.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
