There has been a lot of talk about Braxton Miller during the offseason. Some consider him one of the best quarterbacks in the country and think he is a Heisman candidate, while others think there is plenty of improving to do before he reaches that next level.
Whether you believe in the Ohio State quarterback or not, Miller is on the cusp of becoming something great and it could be achieved as early as this year. There are, though, a few things that must be worked on, which is why he spent a lot of time with quarterback coach George Whitfield during the offseason.
When most people think about the quarterback position, it all starts with throwing the football. But when you search for videos on Miller, you will find that majority of the film out there has to do with him running the football. There is no doubt that his legs and athleticism is what has helped put him on the map, but if he wants to take that next step, he must become more of a passer.
Miller averaged 21.2 pass attempts a game last season. In case you are wondering, that is dead last among quarterbacks that played at least 75 percent of its teams games in 2012. Who would have ever thought that a quarterback with all of this natural ability would have fewer pass attempts a game than a first-year starter in Everett Golson, a run-first QB in Taylor Martinez and an interception machine in Dayne Crist?
The 254 pass attempts were sixth in the Big Ten and 95th in the entire country. Some would say this has to do with the system that Urban Meyer runs, as his spread offense is set up for an athletic quarterback to use his legs more. This is true, but the 254 throws were far fewer than Tim Tebow ever had during the three years he started at Florida.
You can clearly see a significant drop off from Meyer and Tebow during the years under the same coach. Now to be fair, Tebow did participate in bowl games and SEC Championships, but go ahead and add Miller's 21.2 pass attempts a couple more times to the 254 pass attempts if you would like, and Tebow still threw the ball more two out of those three seasons.
This shouldn't be the case, as Miller is clearly the better overall passer when you compare the two. Shoot, even Meyer himself had no problem announcing to the world that Miller was the better quarterback than the great Tebow. When it comes to improving his game, the Ohio State quarterback just needs to trust himself a little more and let his arm do a lot more of the talking.
Watching the highlight video from a year ago, it has become clear that the playbook for Miller was much of the same throughout the season. If it wasn't Miller taking off with his legs, he was sitting back in the pocket and letting the ball fly for 30-plus yards. Miller wasn't the most consistent short-yard passer and this is an area he could improve on.
Miller completed 148 passes last year and 36 of them produced 15 yards or more, while 19 of them racked up at least 25 yards. His 58.3 completion percentage wasn't the best in the world and almost 25 percent of those completions produced more than 15 yards. He only had nine passing attempts on 3rd-and-3 or less, and nearly every red zone touchdown was a designed run for Miller. He must use shorter routes and the middle of the field more.
At times it would seem like Miller would trust his arm a little too much, the same way he believes in his athleticism. This has been the case with Miller since his freshman season, as he often looks downfield, and most of the time is looking for the homerun.
Take the 2011 Michigan game for example. You can see two open wide receivers (circled), who would have easily picked up the first down and kept the chains moving. Miller isn't even looking in that direction and instead forces a pass for a chance at the bigger gain.
Buckeyes fans don't need to be reminded what happened on the play. It resulted in a tipped interception and Michigan ended up winning its first game against the Buckeyes in seven years.
Miller is constantly looking for the big play with man coverage, and he has little problem airing it out by throwing the ball up for grabs. Sometimes it is best to take what the defense gives you and move the chains by going for the easier throw. Sure, Miller has proved he has the arm strength to make big plays in the passing game, but he has to learn to sometimes go with the safer throw when it is available.
This would not only limit his interception total but would also make him that much more dangerous, as it gives the defense something else to worry about. Miller has shown he is a playmaker with his legs and that he can put the ball downfield, now it is time for him to complete more of the underneath throws. Doing his would prove he is an elite quarterback and can reach elite status throughout the 2013 season.
Note: All screenshots were pulled from YouTube video uploaded by user GameDayESPN. All stats come from cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted. Graphs were made using onlinecharttool.com.
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