TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -Ten years after retiring as an NFL quarterback, Chris Miller is back in the huddle.
This time, he’s coaching the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterbacks.
Miller didn’t miss the concussions that interrupted, and ultimately ended, his playing career. But he missed competing at the sport’s highest level.
“There’s nothing like Sundays,” Miller said after a workout on Wednesday. “This is as close as you can get to being a player again.”
Miller was hired during the offseason to replace Jeff Rutledge, who was fired in a shake-up of coach Ken Whisenhunt’s staff. For Miller, coaching provides a chance to fill in what he sees as some gaps in his career.
ings that I left out there that I didn’t accomplish.
“I wish I taken a little bit more of a leadership role, been more mature as a leader in that regard, played a little bit more consistent at times,” Miller said.
Miller takes over a quarterback group that includes a mature starter – two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner – and backup Matt Leinart.
Warner won the first of his two NFL MVP awards in 1999, when Miller retired after a three-game stint with Denver. When it comes to coaching Warner, Miller said he views himself as a “pitching coach,” keeping an eye on Warner’s throwing mechanics.
“He’s a guy you’re not going to teach too much football stuff to,” Miller said. “His football IQ is very high. He’s got an incredible grasp for the game.”
Warner tends to be most comfortable in the pocket. But on Wednesday, as the Cardinals worked out on a sunny, 100-degree morning, Miller had Warner moving around before throwing.
“Just keep challenging him in that manner and not let him get comfortable,” Miller said.
Miller’s bigger project is helping to develop Leinart, Arizona’s first-round pick in 2006. After arriving over the winter, Miller looked at video of Leinart in practice.
“I saw two or three flaws in Matt that I really thought I could improve upon,” Miller said.
rt’s footwork and delivery. Leinart said he can already see improvement.
“He’s helped me so much on my technique this offseason,” Leinart said. “It’s carried over into practice, just my throwing motion and my footwork. He stays on me, and that’s what I really appreciate, because he knows exactly what he’s talking about. He’s been there.”
Like Leinart, Miller was a first-round pick. Atlanta drafted him 13th overall in 1987, and he made the Pro Bowl in 1991.
Miller and Whisenhunt were teammates on the Falcons in 1987 and 1988, and they lived in the same neighborhood and played golf together. Those ties came in handy when Whisenhunt took the Cardinals helm two years ago.
“Obviously, when you have a bond as teammates, that’s something that’s pretty strong and it stays with you,” Whisenhunt said.
After retiring from the NFL, Miller coached at South Eugene High School from 2002-2006, and he also tutored young quarterbacks.
Miller interviewed for a job on Mike Bellotti’s staff at Oregon, his alma mater, but didn’t realize until the session was over that he needed to have a college degree for the position.
“We were done with a three, three-and-a-half hour interview,” Miller said. “He goes, ‘You don’t have your college degree, do you?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t get it yet.”’
the possibility of coaching in the NFL. He was intrigued when Whisenhunt invited him to the Cardinals’ training camp in 2007.
Miller spent a week with the team in Flagstaff, and during that time he impressed Whisenhunt with his knowledge of throwing mechanics and his ability to work with players.
When Whisenhunt fired quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge during an offseason staff shake-up, he knew Miller would be a good choice to fill the job.
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