Speed will get you noticed by the NFL, and that was certainly the case for Dante Miller, who parlayed a 4.27 40-yard dash at his Pro Day into a 2024 opportunity with the New York Giants. It won\u2019t, though, make you a successful NFL player.<\/p>\n
Miller had a good preseason last year, gaining a team-high 108 rushing yards in 26 attempts (4.2 yards per carry). Despite the tantalizing speed, the Giants cut him and he spent the year on the practice squad.<\/p>\n
He knows now that he didn\u2019t know what he didn\u2019t know as a rookie.<\/p>\n
A year spent watching, learning, studying and honing his craft has changed a lot for the 26-year-old Miller.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I think I have a better understanding of the playbook,\u201d Miller said Saturday night in the victorious post-game locker room. \u201cI know the playbook, I know the plays. I know how things are called on the field. The game\u2019s slowed down a lot. That comes with experience, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I have more of a veteran mindset when it comes to executing on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller said he knew he had to get better.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going out there, you\u2019re handling your business, you\u2019re staying healthy, you\u2019re doing your job, I feel like things things develop, things happen over time,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason that I was on practice squad last year. I had to get a better understanding of the playbook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to get better at my position. I had to develop better. So that\u2019s what I did. I delved into what I had to do, and I\u2019ve been taking my time to handle the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work has paid off this preseason.<\/p>\n
Miller had five rushes for 17 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and four receptions for 43 yards on Saturday vs. the Jets. All four of Miller\u2019s receptions created first downs.<\/p>\n
Miller leads the Giants with 11 receptions for 123 yards through two preseason games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say it again, playbook. Playbook is a big thing,\u201d Miller said. \u201dI understand the playbook now.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when you\u2019re on the football field, we\u2019ve got different blocking assignments as a running back. There\u2019s different route assignments. There\u2019s different things that happen on the fly. You gotta be able to understand those things in a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I feel like this year, I feel way better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills and Saturday evening against the Jets, Miller was particularly effective in the screen game.<\/p>\n
Why have the screen passes, especially the ones involving Miller, been successful?<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a running back standpoint, you just gotta trust that the guys in front of you are gonna do their job,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAnd from their perspective, they gotta trust I\u2019m gonna do my job. So it\u2019s 11-on-11 football.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gotta trust. A screen is not gonna work if somebody doesn\u2019t do their job. And we\u2019ve been executing at a very high level, as we should.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills, Giants head coach Brian Daboll pointed out that if he is going to make the roster as a backup running back Miller would have to provide value on special teams.<\/p>\n
Against the Jets, he did just that.<\/p>\n
Miller had a 22-yard kickoff return. Perhaps more important is what he accomplished in kickoff and punt coverage.<\/p>\n
In kickoff coverage, Miller assisted on a tackle. As a punt gunner, Miller beat his blocker, then beat the ball and downed a Jamie Gillan punt at the 5-yard line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big thing. If you\u2019re not that first running back up, you gotta play special teams,\u201d Miller said,<\/p>\n
I feel like, personally, no matter what I gotta do to help the team, I\u2019m there. Whether it\u2019s on punt, punt, block, kickoff, return, kickoff, I\u2019m there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna go out there and handle my job, handle my assignments to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
With rookie running back Cam Skattebo not practicing or playing for the past couple of weeks due to a hamstring injury, Miller seems almost certain to make the initial 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
Perhaps not wanting to give any hints about upcoming roster decisions, Daboll was guarded on Sunday when asked about Miller\u2019s preseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s getting plenty of opportunity on offense, plenty of opportunity in the kick game,\u201d Daboll said. \u201cProbably a lot like all the other guys \u2013 some good plays and then some things we can get better at. I like Dante\u2019s mindset and he\u2019s a competitor and we\u2019ll just keep working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n