Zach Miller heir to Oakland Raider tradition of great tight ends

December 19, 2:12 AMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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Zach Miller and Johnnie Lee Higgins prepare for the snap.
Photo by Patrick A. Patterson/TFDSsports.com

Todd Christensen, Raymond Chester, and Hall of Fame member Dave Casper all set the standard for tight ends. Those three greats in their time in Silver and Black set an impossibly high standard for what is expected from Oakland Raider tight ends. Second year player Zach Miller is well on the road towards reaching those standards and becoming one of the greats.

It is easy to lose sight of just how good Miller has been with the overall ineptitude of the passing game. However, Miller has been the one consistent receiver this season, as well as a major factor as a blocker. In fact, its his ability as a blocker combined with Kwame Harris's inability as a blocker that has kept him in blocking far too often on pass plays, thus costing him the chance to use his considerable receiving skills.

As a team, the Oakland Raiders have 190 catches. Of those 190 catches, Miller is responsible for 50 of them. That means over 25% of the grabs are made by #80. By comparison the wide receiver corps has a total of 69 catches. In fact, Miller has double the number of catches of Darren McFadden (22) who is second on the team.

Miller's 674 yards receiving is also more than double the second place receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins (258). He has a 13.5 yards per catch, which does not lead the team, but is more than respectable. The team leader is Higgins (19.8), but he only has 13 catches.

Miller is the one receiver that JaMarcus Russell has been able to count on all year. Miller has the ability to haul in just about any pass in this area. With him being in only his second year, he is only going to get better. If the offense is built around his talents, he should be seeing regular post season trips to Hawaii in the not too distant future.