Big Blue View
There was a lot to feel good about in the New York Giants preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Abdul Carter lived up to the hype despite playing just six snaps, and Jaxson Dart had about as good a debut as we could have reasonably asked for. But if there was another player who earned attention it was second-year running back Dante Miller.
Miller, affectionately referred to as “Turbo”, had himself a game.
Quarterbacks aside, Miller was the Giants’ MVP against the Bills, and led the team in both rushing and receiving. Miller was the only player on either team to top 100 yards on the day, with 31 more yards than the next closest players. He finished with 102 on 17 touches for an average of 6 yards per touch, and that would have been higher if not for an 8-yard run that was negated by a penalty. He carried the ball 10 times for 22 yards, while also catching 7 passes (on 7 targets) for 80 yards (11.4 yards per catch). But it wasn’t just that he was the Giants’ biggest weapon, but that he produced in big moments.
Five of Miller’s 17 touches went for first downs, including on key third downs.
We know that Miller is fast and that he can pick up chunk yardage on the ground if he can find daylight. But it was his work through the air that stood out this game. He showed that he can make good things happen when the Giants scheme ways to get him the ball with room to work. His work with the ball in his hands on screen plays was absolutely electric.
Unless he was disrupted behind the line of scrimmage, it looked as though Miller was on the verge of a big play every time he touched the ball. His hands proved fantastic, as did his vision and contact balance. Once in space, his speed was readily apparent and he terrorized the second and third levels of the Bills’ defense.
There’s already conversation that Jaxson Dart’s play made either Jameis Winston or Tommy DeVito expendable, but Miller’s play might have given Joe Schoen another tough decision to make.
Devin Singletary is a fine running back. He’s a dependable and versatile player who can be a contributor in just about any situation. But he doesn’t have the raw explosive upside that Miller brings. We know Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo are locks to make the final roster, but has Miller already helped himself enough to make Singletary expendable?
In previous years we talked about how some of the Giants’ final 53 players were on other teams’ rosters, that the team would be active on the waiver wire after cutdowns. This year, we’ve been talking about how the work the Giants’ front office has done will lead to “good problems” when it comes to final cuts. It’s only one game, but Miller’s game against the Bills may just have given Joe Schoen another one of those...
