Underdog Scotty Miller
May 27th, 2022
Bulked up Scotty Miller speaks.
Scotty Miller added 15 pounds of good weight this offseason, and you can see it on the practice field.
The fourth-year wide receiver also is back to his underdog mindset after a rough 2021 season.
Joe loved listening to Miller on The Underdog Podcast this week. Man, what a story Miller has. He rode the bench in youth football. It even got to the point, Miller said, that his dad stepped in to coach youth ball largely so the younger Miller could play.
“They thought I was small. They thought I was weak,” Miller said, and he was referring to his youth and early high school years.
Miller explained how he wasn’t allowed to play offense through a chunk of high school and how at Bowling Green he was the best receiver in the MAC but was voted 2nd team all-conference (four receivers got first team). And then Miller didn’t get invited to the Senior Bowl or the NFL Scouting Combine.
Miller freely says he’s been “slighted” over and over again from Day 1 of his football life. Heck, even his scholarship offer from Bowling Green came with a condition: ‘Decide in 24 hours or we don’t want you.’
When it came time for the NFL, Miller said few agents wanted to sign him out of college. They told him he couldn’t be an NFL receiver.
Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and receivers coach Kevin Garver were the only two coaches — from any team — to attend his Pro Day, Miller said. So he felt reasonably confident the Bucs would draft him.
When Round 6 of the 2019 NFL Draft came around, Miller said he broke down in tears when Bucs general manager Jason Licht called him to say the Bucs “have a need for speed” and he would be their pick in a handful of minutes.
Fast forward to present day and Miller still sounds like a guy who feels like he’s being overlooked.
Miller’s early-season turf toe injury last year was serious. Surgery was recommended, he explained, but Miller went with the opinions of other doctors and came back late in the season.
Over the last four months, Miller said he’s reframed his mindset and is dialed in on a higher plane after working to add 15 pounds.
Miler added that he’s had a good start to spring practices and “I’m trying to have everyone believe in me so I can help the team out come the fall.”
If the 2020 version of Miller returns in September, what a huge boost that will be to the Tampa Bay offense.
Enjoy today’s Ira Kaufman Podcast!
May 27th, 2022 at 2:30 pm
Thanks! Quality coverage with a lot of insight!
May 27th, 2022 at 2:31 pm
He’s a good player, he made one of the most important plays in Bucs history, and some amazing plays on special teams, thats proof enough. I hope he makes it happen.
May 27th, 2022 at 2:32 pm
Love the underdog mentality.
I have read the Tom Cruise added an inch to his height on each of his last three movie. Now, if Scotty can find Tom Cruise’s secret, he be the next pro bowl WR.
May 27th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
Height doesn’t equal a good NFL WR
End Arounds, screens, fly patterns, and posts should all be attainable for him.
He is fast and can catch, just needs to stay healthy, and part of that was his size.
The extra 15 lbs will help if he is still fast.
I gained 15lbs and got slower.
Of course I’m 47.
Just heard Brady say what a dumb excuse.
May 27th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
Scotty:
Nobody can ever take away that fantastic catch you made vs the Packers to help us toward winning the SB…..you got the catch, you got the ring.
Underdog or not, you’re a fan favorite also….that’s a hard position to get.
We all wish you success!!!
May 27th, 2022 at 2:52 pm
Well I hope Scotty reads this here website, because the “one trick pony” label he’s getting from all the knowledgeable Buc faithful should add fuel to his fire. It’s clear coordinators around the NFL respect that one trick, and idk how many people Miller has to run by and catch passes against to be looked at as a legitimate threat in our offense. For a 6th rounder, I think Scotty has outperformed his selection status and anything comparable to his 2020 production and he just *might* get a new deal here.
May 27th, 2022 at 2:53 pm
Scotty showed up big in the Todd Bowl against the Rams. I’m excited to see him at full speed again.
May 27th, 2022 at 2:59 pm
he’ll be welker this year.
May 27th, 2022 at 3:08 pm
As has been said by many, the only similarity between Welker or Edelman and Scotty is skin color. Scotty is way faster.
May 27th, 2022 at 3:19 pm
@Goatfarmer
EXACTLY!! Scotty is more John Brown in his first seasons w/The Cardinals than he is Welker or Edleman. Better athlete than either of those guys and the speed is what makes it so Scotty can line up outside as a WR and not just be a slot WR.
May 27th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Being “undersized” myself, Miller is my hero.
May 27th, 2022 at 3:40 pm
Yep !…gonna be GREAT competition for that ONE roll
keep an eye on the rookie from Western Kentucky
May 27th, 2022 at 4:24 pm
I always root for the underdog, and I’m rooting for Scotty “Scooter” Miller. Make your dreams come true through hard work and perseverance, young man. Adjust your game to make your speed and quickness undeniable. See: Welker, Wes, and Edelman, Julian.
May 27th, 2022 at 4:30 pm
It does not hurt That brady has trusted Scooter in the past. Hope he has a great season.
May 27th, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Glad to see he has put on a little size! It can only help him in the NFL!
May 27th, 2022 at 4:48 pm
He’s fast, we get it. He’s the worse route runner I have ever seen play a football game. We know he can catch an occasional deep ball. We have 4 other guys who can do that and much more. I don’t dislike the kid, I dislike all this misplaced hype.
May 27th, 2022 at 5:03 pm
@ Robert
Welker/Edelman: Slow, but quick and shifty runners, very good on their breaks and routes, who play most over the middle, have decent size and an ability to block inside.
Miller: Very fast, lacks quickness and the ability to change direction. Very straight line runner. Terrible route runner. Not a blocker at all. Plays outside.
Miller is a poor man’s Desean Jackson, not Welker/Edelman.
Godwin/Darden are more Welker/Edelman types.
May 27th, 2022 at 5:13 pm
Sounds like every player is buying in to be their best ever this season.
May 27th, 2022 at 6:25 pm
Not saying that Miller is an extremely great route runner but worst route runner Maniac has ever seen.
My eyeballs do not agree with that assessment.
May 27th, 2022 at 6:27 pm
Where is Mike Johnson and his overused, asinine quote from his mentor (and convicted r@pist) about quitting once you get hit in the mouth?
May 27th, 2022 at 6:35 pm
Maniac,
I agree that Darden SHOULD be the prototypical slot receiver, based on his speed and 3-cone. But last year, he looked very timid, right? I hope he gets some confidence to be able to grab a 10-yard slant and go down quick. Nobody would diss him for that. Grab 10 yards, go down, rinse, repeat, matriculate down the field without getting hurt. Godwin doesn’t shy away from contact, and that’s great for YAC and we love him for that….but Darden can be a chain-mover if he’s a bit smarter about his routes and ability to take on hits.
May 27th, 2022 at 6:38 pm
And I can say the same thing for Miller: he’s small, so he shouldn’t think he’s ever going to be a YAC guy. Grab that 5, 10, 15 yards and go down. There IS a place in an offense for a super quick, shifty guy who avoids contact. Move them chains!
May 27th, 2022 at 6:42 pm
“Godwin/Darden are more Welker/Edelman types.”
I get the Godwin comp but I see no evidence whatssoever that Darden resembles Welker/Edeleman. Darden runs poor routes, has very little strength and no hands. How does that resemble Edelman?
May 27th, 2022 at 6:47 pm
@D-Rol, as a speed and agility trainer, there is nothing super quick or shifty about Miller. That’s his biggest knock, he has no quickness or wiggle at all. He’s a straight line guy. He’s a track guy. Miller would never be a successful slot, even if he ever became a decent receiver.
May 27th, 2022 at 6:47 pm
Maniac Buc couldn’t be more right. Can we please stop with this nonsense? He is a poor route runner. His catch radius is very small. He can’t get off the line, even when healthy. DBs play right through him. He is terrible at the top of the route tree. That means he can’t create separation unless running a straight line. The league is replete with washed out track stars. I hope I’m wrong and the kid has a tremendous season, I just don’t see it
May 27th, 2022 at 6:48 pm
@Geno, yes. Scotty is an NFL receiver who can only run two routes, so form of a go and a comeback. That’s it. He is here for one reason, he’s fast.
May 27th, 2022 at 6:49 pm
The thing is, with Miller and Darden, nobody should expect them to be decent blockers. They are just too small. Sure, they can try to get in someone’s way downfield, but they are not good at blocking. This is what makes Godwin so awesome and unique: He’s not huge, but big enough to fight through contact and get that first down, and big enough to deliver a real block. Darden/Miller, nobody should expect them to block effectively. Their skill-set is quick and shifty, grab a pass and go down before a LB splits them in half. LOL. Seeing how Brady used Welker/Edelman, I think the precedent is set for these 2 small, quick, but small-boned guys to be chain-movers with the occasional deep shot.
May 27th, 2022 at 7:00 pm
D-Rok, please stop calling Miller quick and shifty. That description couldn’t be further from the truth.
May 27th, 2022 at 7:02 pm
TBBucs3, Darden skill set is almost identical to Welker, except he’s faster. Very quick and very shifty. Also, saying Darden runs bad routes and has bad hands couldn’t be further from the truth either.
May 27th, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Scotty has “it” hopefully he can stay healthy.
May 27th, 2022 at 7:21 pm
What I seen that hold Scotty Miller back is inability to fight through contact. Once a DB gets his hands on him its done. Scptty arent getting open. To be fair he has gotten his fair share of flags but thats not something I wanna rely on.
Maybe the 15 pounds helps? I’m not banking on it. After 3 seasons these guys usually are who they are.
Either way he can still be a good little weapon. And it was nice to see him step up on Secial Teams last year, hopefully he gets even better in that area this year.
May 27th, 2022 at 8:48 pm
Jimmy Jack, i agree. My last year in the league, I had the pleasure of meeting a man named Joe Kim. He taught hand fighting to all the players. He was a taekwondo master. I’m not sure if the bucs employee anyone of his ilk, but Miller would benefit greatly from it. I really don’t think the added weight can help him in that respect. Maybe it can help with weight leverage at the top of the route tree, but he needs some lessons in hand combat
May 27th, 2022 at 9:40 pm
Maniac
What film are you possibly watching? Darden had a grand total of 6 catches for 40 yards last season. If your referencing college stats, Ill gladly remind you of Kenny Bell who looked like a stud in college.
Plus hes shorter than both Edelman and Welker at 5’8. I certainly wouldnt get my hopes up at Darden becoming a reliable WR let alone even making the team next year.
May 27th, 2022 at 9:52 pm
Someone is comparing Dardung to Welker?! ROTFLMAO!
Miller >> Dardung.
The proper comp for Dardung is the Dexter Jackson from App State, only Dardung may be even worse. Gonna call Miller lousy and then compare Dardung to Welker?
That is some high comedy.
May 27th, 2022 at 10:11 pm
You guys are funny. 😂
May 27th, 2022 at 10:15 pm
GOB I would think Scotty could learn lots on playing through contact when hes got Evans, Chris and Gronk to learn from. It might be more of a physical limitation then anything.
Id love to see the extra 15 pounds make a difference but either way Im happy with Scotty. He has been that one trick pony we always hear about but when that one trick is game changing ability its very valuable.
Not too bad for a 6th rounder……..By the way, that 6th round pick was the pick we got for trading DeShawn Jackson……….Its actually been a fair tradeoff stat wise. I would love to see Scotty have a big year like 2020 so we can say the 6th rounder was more valuable then DeShawn(which is already has been)
May 27th, 2022 at 10:35 pm
We desperately need the 2020 version of this dude.
May 27th, 2022 at 10:53 pm
Scotty hasn’t been used properly. That is all.
May 28th, 2022 at 7:03 am
Miller has great chemistry with Brady. Let’s see how he does with his feet back under him and a few more pounds of muscle. Smart, driven, hard working guy with just enough talent. Love all these arm chair GM’s explaining why he can’t make it. Get after it, Scotty.
May 28th, 2022 at 9:14 am
Maniac,
Just from his 3-cone, Miller *SHOULD* be quick. Yet, he is not, nor do I personally think he ever will be. His tape shows he plays like a track guy: straight line speed only when he isn’t jammed at LOS. I wish he could be quick and shifty but he hasn’t shown that yet. Last year he was hobbled most of the year with turf toe, so it’s like a lost year for him.
Darden has shown (in college) he is quick and shifty, but it hasn’t translated yet. Maybe he needs a few years. Edelman took a few years before he was “good.”
I was trying to illustrate the possibility of having 2 quick, shifty slots on our team – not that we do now. As this is underwear football season, for me as a fan, it’s also “dreaming of what if” season, LOL. Hypotheticals.
May 28th, 2022 at 10:09 am
He’s the fastest man in football. Use him like a Wes Welker. Once he makes the catch, let that speed take over. Once in a while line him up wide. With that speed, the opposing teams fastest DB will HAVE to cover him.
I just wish the Bucs would have tried to get something for Godwin and added another decent RB or DB.
May 28th, 2022 at 11:10 am
@Maniac: what Bucs team did you watch last season?
Darden looked lost every time the ball came his direction.
He didn’t play much most likely because Brady didn’t want him on the field.
On another note, 15 lbs of man muscle on Miller will serve him well at the LOS…
May 28th, 2022 at 11:39 am
My point I was trying to illustrate, using 3-cone times, is both Miller and Darden *SHOULD* be quick and shifty. Maybe Geiger or Sterns will surprise us this year and be good in the slot until Godwin returns? (Again, thinking of hypotheticals).
D-Rok Says:
May 26th, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Here’s what I could find for 3-cone drill. Less than 7 seconds is elite.
Edelman: 6.62
Darden: 6.67
Geiger: 6.77
Sterns: 6.80
Miller: 6.97
A Brown: 6.98
Godwin: 7.01
Grayson: 7.02
Gage: 7.03
Julio Jones: 6.66
Fastest ever: 2018 OK DB Jordan Thomas: 6.28
May 28th, 2022 at 11:48 am
Speed and Agility trainer for the last 20 years here… that trumps everyone else. Regardless of what people believe about Miller’s agility, I’m calling BS on Miller adding 15 lbs of good weight this offseason. That’s not even slightly possible for a person that has been working out in his mid 20’s. Not naturally, not even with access to trenbolone, testosterone, deca durabolin, etc. Fifteen pounds of actual muscle can’t be put on by an experienced lifter in four-five months. Maybe he put it on since he came into the league. Will it affect his speed? It COULD make him faster actually. But if it is good weight it shouldn’t slow him down. Even at a projected 5’9 188, he’s still not very thick.
May 28th, 2022 at 11:50 am
Thadeus Says:
May 28th, 2022 at 10:09 am
He’s the fastest man in football. Use him like a Wes Welker. Once he makes the catch, let that speed take over. Once in a while line him up wide. With that speed, the opposing teams fastest DB will HAVE to cover him.
I just wish the Bucs would have tried to get something for Godwin and added another decent RB or DB.
________
Wow. So dumb. Use him like Wes Welker was used? Welker was freaking slow. He ran almost entirely out of the slot. Clueless.
May 28th, 2022 at 2:50 pm
Honestly, Scotty being healthy would of changed alot last season I think. He was the big momentum play guy all year in 2020. Brady likes to have another dog with him on the field. See Edelman and Welker, Edelman’s biggest intangible contribution was sharing a mindset with Brady and stoking the flames.
May 28th, 2022 at 3:05 pm
@D-rok.. Edelman took a minute to get up to speed because he was a QB lol. He wasn’t even drafted as a WR.. the story is Belichik told him he didn’t know where he was going to play, but he loved his attitude and personality so they would try him in a few spots and fund a position. He played some LB and Safety I think in year 1.
May 28th, 2022 at 11:32 pm
Maniac and D-Rok are spot on. He’s a terrible route runner, but that is fixable (hopefully). He can’t get separation, even with his speed (dbs are fast too). No upper body fakes (shoulder and head turning back to the QB) to get the DB to bite. His only move seems to be “hesitate for a second then sprint”. Beasley, Edelman, AB, etc are all slower in the 40 but know how to run a route and get separation. Miller’s “big catch” against GB was a great play call that caught the Packers asleep looking toward halftime, so while I loved the play, it hardly puts Miller anywhere near “elite”. He just needs to be coached up so all that speed isn’t wasted, but he does have good hands
May 28th, 2022 at 11:38 pm
Oh and the “better athlete than Edelman” thing. Seriously? Edelman is the same size as Miller but plays like a 250 lb linebacker. Tough little bugger who fights for the ball, fights for extra yards, etc. Scotty ain’t that guy