Saints Rookie Endears Himself to NOLA Before Taking a Snap

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Before he ever took a snap as a Saint, Christen Miller had already won the hearts of New Orleans fans.

In July, Miller was in line at a grocery store in Metairie with a bag of shrimp. The person in front of him told the Georgia alum to go ahead of her because he only had that one item. He immediately told the casher to ring up her whole grocery order with his. Though Leslie Pedigo protested, Miller insisted telling her, "My mamma always taught me to do good deeds, and I'd like to bless you today. Please don't take that blessing from me."

"It's crazy," Miller said with a smile. "I didn't expect it to do what it did, because that's just who I am. I try to do good deeds. I try to be very calm and chill about it and go about my business, but I'm a big believer of being a cheerful giver. I give when I feel like it's on my spirit to give, and that was one of the moments that I did."

Not knowing the impression he had left on Pedigo, he exited the store. That's when things got interesting.

"She found out who I was in the parking lot," Miller said acting out the scene to reporters, "and I thought somebody was chasing me at first. I looked behind me, like, 'Whoa, what's going on?' Then she was like, 'No, I'm sorry. I (just) wanted to get a picture with you."

The two took a selfie, and the heartwarming act spread across the nation.

Next Man Up

Fast forward to the first day of training camp. The New Orleans Saints lost an important cog in the defensive front before any activity could hardly even get underway. Bryan Bresee tore an ACL. The defensive tackle was placed on the Injured/Reserve and is expected to be out the rest of the year.

Back in April, the Saints made the move to shore up its defensive front by taking Georgia All-SEC DL Miller. Be it forethought or being proactive, the rookie has now been thrust into a more involved role early in training camp. In the first unofficial depth chart released by the Saints, Miller finds himself firmly in the second seat behind 10-year veteran Davon Godchaux at one of the three defensive line slots. The club acquired Godchaux from the Patriots for a 7th round pick in this past April's draft to bolster the run-stop game.

His Strength is...well...His Strength

Now, Miller is in the mix and is seeing a slew of snaps, sometimes with the 1st team. He believes his strength as a player is exactly that.

"My strength," Miller responded. "Me being strong, me being a big kid, and me being able to go back and forth with a lot of these vets in terms of physicality. I come from Georgia, so I'm supposed to have that. Now, things I can work on are just being a better pro, being consistent in how I show up and attacking every day the same way."

And he cannot wait for today's joint practice and Saturday's 1st game of the preseason against the Jaguars.

"I'm excited. It's my first preseason game," Miller said with his ever-present smile. "I'm excited that I get to go against another team and be able to show what I can do, and learn, and grow. I just want to make plays, learn, and go from there."

Training Camp Schedule

Here's the practice schedule for the week:

- Thursday, 9:00-11:00 a.m., Joint Practice with the Jaguars (SOLD OUT)
- Friday, TBD, Walk-Thru (Closed)
- Saturday, Saints vs. Jaguars, 3:00 p.m., Superdome

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