Hand-Fighting Losses Plaguing Scotty Miller
September 28th, 2022
Scotty Miller
Joe is well lubricated with Big Storm beer and is doing what Joe does on lockdown, catching up on SiriusXM NFL Radio shows and watching NFL condensed NFL games.
(Dear football gods, can Lamar Jackson be our next starting quarterback?)
This morning on Sirius, Joe caught a Scotty Miller conversation that included what is often never spoken by defensive backs. The chatter came from retired safety Solomon Wilcots, who noted that life has gotten tougher for receivers in the last couple of years because officials are allowing more hand fighting — and more physical hand fighting — from defensive backs off the line of scrimmage.
Yes, that’s really a former DB saying life is improving for the current generation of cornerbacks and safeties. And Wilcots went on to explain that Miller is losing those physical battles week after week.
Miller is very good receiver, Wilcots believes, but he may be playing at the wrong time as it relates to how games are being called.
Co-host and former Super Bowl champion receiver Torrey Smith seemed to agree with Wilcots’ take and strongly implied that Miller must do a better job of learning how to draw pass interference penalties.
Where did 2020 Scotty Miller go? Joe would love to see again the guy who caught 33 balls for 501 yards and three touchdowns.
Could it be as simple as the refs are going easier on defensive backs and Miller can’t keep up?
September 28th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Miller has made one big play since being a buc. He’s a one trick pony. Deep threat is all he offers. He needs to go.
He’s made more than one. But his past is irrelevant at this point. –Joe
September 28th, 2022 at 3:57 pm
Do the Bucs have a WR coach? (Facetious)
The coaches job is to coach up areas of weakness. Get busy.
September 28th, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Saying that Miller has just one play as a Buc is unfair at the very list, but I would agree, and is pretty obvious, that he is not the same player he used to be.
I am just not ready to say that he will never be productive again…..I need more games…
September 28th, 2022 at 4:06 pm
People can say what they want about Scotty, but he has lousy hands. That doesn’t bode well for his future.
He’s in his 4th year with us now:
o 2019: 13 catches in 26 targets (50.0%) for 200 yds, 1 TD
o 2020: 33 catches in 53 targets (62.3%) for 501 yds, 3 TD
o 2021: 5 catches in 9 targets (55.6%) for 38 yds, 0 TD
o 2022: 4 catches in 13 targets (30.8%) for 38 yds, 0 TD
That’s a 54.5% catch rate over his career with a grand total of 4 TDs. Numbers like that don’t scream ‘Mr Productivity’ to me. Sad thing is, the numbers for Jaelon Darden (53.8% catch rate with 0 TDs) and for Breshard Perriman (49.8% catch rate over 7 years with 16 TDs, almost half of those in 1 year with us) are even worse. And yet, those 3 stuck while Tyler Johnson, Cyril Grayson, Deven Thompkins & Kaylon Geiger were all either let go or relegated to the Practice Squad.
September 28th, 2022 at 4:16 pm
I’ve been a fan of his but Miller is just not big enough to shake coverage to get open .. I would switch him with Beasley who was put on practice squad after the packer game.
September 28th, 2022 at 4:41 pm
Small and not strong doesn’t win in pro football as it turns out
September 28th, 2022 at 4:42 pm
I focused on Scott a few times during the Packers game. When DBs play up on him he gets jerked around like a rag doll. He tries, but just not big enough or strong enough.
September 28th, 2022 at 4:49 pm
I call bull@#$& Joe. Miller would have the same problems in any generation. Can you imagine him playing when DBs could literally mugg recievers at the line? More excuse making for a dude that probably should’ve been cut. If he couldn’t run fast, he’d be selling insurance. Maybe some Karate would help. Years ago, the 49ers employed martial artist to help with hand fighting.
September 28th, 2022 at 4:56 pm
I have no idea how Miller made this roster over Johnson. Johnson caught balls thrown at him. They needed miller the last 2 weeks and he comes up short every time they call on him. He provides no value. Beasley was more productive and he only went to 2 practices.
September 28th, 2022 at 4:56 pm
Tyler Johnson didn’t have this problem…
The one way to win hand battles is to get some separation……..Scotty usually seems to be covered….that’s why there are hand battles….
September 28th, 2022 at 5:11 pm
So, I’m just openly speculating here…WHY is someone like Miller not able to be a complete (or at least better, more consistent) WR when someone similar size and speed able to be, aka Cheetah? Or even small slot guys.
I find it strange that after 4 years, the deficiencies of Miller haven’t been identified and coached up. 4 years of off-season work. I’m confused as to WHY Scotty isn’t better than he should be.
Can someone explain this to me? Is it heart? Lack of talent besides straight-line speed?
September 28th, 2022 at 5:37 pm
Idk doesn’t look like a hand fighting problem to me. Every time he goes out on. A route he gets physically dominated. Kinda embarrassing to see. I know he relies on speed. Maybe he has lost a step with the injuries?
September 28th, 2022 at 5:40 pm
Scotty is the worse NFL receiver ever. There is no close 2nd. There has never been a receiver make the league with the minimum skill he has. He’s done good for himself using his speed. I’d he was even a 4.45 guy, he would be working at Amazon right now. It is what it is. Hope I never see him play for my team again.
September 28th, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Obvious why he bulked up over the off season
September 28th, 2022 at 6:58 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
September 28th, 2022 at 4:56 pm
Tyler Johnson didn’t have this problem…
^^^^^^^
Are you forgetting that Tyler Johnson got cut? There must’ve been a problem or two.
September 28th, 2022 at 7:51 pm
The dreaded groin
September 28th, 2022 at 7:56 pm
Cyril Grayson & Tyler Johnson> Scotty Miller & Jalen Darden
September 28th, 2022 at 8:02 pm
Picking on Scotty Miller and Jalen Darden for not being able to beat press coverage is like being mad at a one legged man for losing a butt kicking contest. Expectations should be low.
The real crime was the organization being happy to settle on those two for important roster spots. The chances of Godwin being fully recovered were low and so were the chances of Julio Jones being healthy for more than half the games. Miniature recievers weren’t going to be able to fill those roles.
The real joke on the field is Breshad Perriman. He has no physical limitations that keep him from being a productive reciever, he just sucks at playing the position.
September 28th, 2022 at 9:04 pm
He kinda reminds me a little bit of Brandon Lowe Haha. But, really tho… Hmmmm..
September 28th, 2022 at 9:24 pm
D-Rok, For as fast as Miller is, he doesn’t have great lateral quickness. Teams not only fear Hill’s straight speed, but also his ability to get open quickly. Miller can’t do it, and that’s the difference. His Ronnie Garvin hands are also a problem. It looks like he fights every catch. It’s why they haven’t turned him into a pure punt returner. That part of the game is dying anyway. If it were my team, he wouldn’t have made the roster. He was a sixth rounder for a reason. Wish the kid all the luck in the world, but he has zero future in the league. He may hang around as a fifth or 6th somewhere for a while, but I think the bucs have about seen enough.
September 28th, 2022 at 10:31 pm
we really need to give Thompkins a shot at wr
September 28th, 2022 at 11:20 pm
We really need to give Evans, Julio, Godwin and Gage a shot — together.
September 28th, 2022 at 11:21 pm
I like Scotty as a person and hoped he would be a game breaker. His rookie year was promising but defenses caught on to him as a one trick pony, straight line speed. Bump check him and knock him off his route and he is done. Beefing up slowed him down and he lacks quickness making cuts. Play bump and run and he is done. Also poor hands when the ball is away from his body. Nice guy, but….
September 28th, 2022 at 11:56 pm
The image of a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest..ROFL!!
September 29th, 2022 at 8:28 am
^ Im laughing so hard at that….im stealing it. Thats me at my job 90% of the day lol.
September 29th, 2022 at 4:16 pm
Thanks for the thoughts, Redeemer. Good stuff, and I agree that Scotty doesn’t have the lateral quickness needed. But geez, if Scotty DID have a 3-cone like someone like Edelman, man, that guy would be unguardable, IMO.
September 29th, 2022 at 9:53 pm
I will KEEP saying this until I’m blue in the face..
Gotta out Scotty in motion in the slot….
He can’t play outside…
September 30th, 2022 at 7:44 pm
SM is not getting any separation and it’s obvious when he has DB’s on his hip every game, with all those targets. He will probably never get that many targets for the rest of the year.