Chicago Bears Put Their Faith In Zach Miller After Horrific Injury

Chicago Bears Put Their Faith In Zach Miller After Horrific Injury
15:05, 05 Jun 2018

On a day where the NFL lost a legend in Dwight Clark and Donald Trump cancelled the Super Bowl winners’ traditional White House visit, Chicago made sure there was at least one feel-good story by re-signing tight end Zach Miller.

In the third quarter of Bears’ loss to New Orleans in the Superdome last October, Miller tangled with Saints’ defender Rafael Bush at the goalline.

The 33-year-old hauled in the ball but, as his left foot hit the turf, his leg buckled and bent the wrong way, dislocating his knee and tearing his popliteal artery as it went. Referees ruled that as he went to clutch his injured knee he lost possession of the ball and overturned the would-be touchdown catch. Miller, meanwhile, was rushed to University Medical Center, where vascular surgeons fought to save his leg using a vein from his right leg and he then spent eight days in New Orleans before being flown back to Chicago where he’s had eight further surgeries.

“I remember the ball coming over and when I secured it I remember feeling my leg pop. I knew I had an injury and I knew it was pretty severe but there was no pain. I was calm,” said Miller. “Before surgery, I just remember telling the doc, ‘Save my leg, please’.”

After the surgery his thoughts turned back to the game: “He pretty much wanted his touchdown back,” said then-head coach John Fox. “Typical Zach, he was very supportive of the team. He was basically telling us to hang in there, but that’s the type of person he is and the kind of teammate he is.”

Resuming his career seemed to be a world away at the end of 2017 but the Bears have ensured he has a home should he complete a miraculous comeback. The veteran tight end was out of contract so wouldn’t have been able to collect injury protection benefit. Instead, he’s now a Chicago Bears player for 2018 with a guaranteed $458,000 salary even if he doesn’t play, $790,000 if he does make it back.

The move was a classy gesture from the NFL’s oldest franchise and its current general manager Ryan Pace, but also a smart one. Pace and rookie head coach Matt Nagy are trying to create a new culture at the Bears and having the inspirational Miller, who’s been rehabbing his injury at the team HQ Halas Hall, in the building is an important message to their young team.

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