Miller traveled a unique route to the NFL. A quarterback at Nebraska-Omaha, he was quickly converted to tight conclusion right after remaining picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2009 draft. His only experience at his new posture in higher education came in the Cactus Bowl, a Division II all-star sport.
Miller appeared in 66 online games with 33 commences around 3 seasons with the Jaguars, catching 45 passes for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns. But he missed the subsequent 3 years thanks mostly to injuries.
Miller revitalized his profession with the Bears in 2015, catching 34 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns. He adopted in 2016 with 47 receptions for 486 yards and 4 TDs. But midway via the 2017 year, he sustained a devastating injury in the course of a match in New Orleans that nearly cost him his leg and finished his NFL job.
Wanting to fill a significant void devoid of football in his existence, Miller turned to tunes.
“I started composing many years back,” he claimed, “and then after I obtained hurt, it form of grew to become a therapeutic matter for me, so I started writing a lot more and far more and just kind of begun falling in like with it.”
Miller has created about 30 music. He recorded “How Ya Like Us Now” in Nashville at Dark River Studios, which is owned by his friend, Colt Capperrune. Miller has given that done publicly twice—May 1 and 7 at The Great Existence Sporting activities Bar and Grill close to his dwelling in Omaha.
Prior to that, Miller performed his new music for good friend and previous Bears teammate Jay Cutler, who stopped at Miller’s household in Nebraska in the course of a cross-nation auto excursion.
“That was really a single of the 1st occasions I performed songs for any person outside the house my family members,” Miller stated. “Jay was like, ‘What do you mean you happen to be producing and performing all of this stuff? I want to hear it.’
“I was really form of nervous because you want persons to like it. We sat down and jammed all night very long. He was like, ‘That’s very good, gradual this down,’ and now Jay’s on my listening panel. If I compose a new tune, I’m sending it to him for his insights due to the fact I know a single issue: he’ll be trustworthy with me.”
Miller is pictured on the deal with of “How Ya Like Us Now” running on the beach with his wife, Kristen, the mother of their young children ages 11, 9 and 3. The previous Bears restricted close is grateful for the support he is been given from Kristen, the two during his prolonged recovery from his ugly leg personal injury and now that he’s releasing his 1st single.
Maybe the most extraordinary factor of Miller’s new endeavor is that he taught himself how to engage in the guitar by watching YouTube video clips and looking at guides. His journey began when he been given his initial guitar as a Christmas reward from a pal when attending college or university.
“It’s like golf,” Miller reported. “You can golfing like crap all working day very long, but if you hit a superior shot, you are likely to come again. That’s how the guitar was for me. It took me a even though to get by the developing pains of learning—and I still have so considerably much more to learn—but now at least I can put some tracks jointly and engage in open up chords and bar chords and compose new music.”
Miller is clearly comfy sharing his audio, but that was not usually the scenario.
“It was additional so just anything I cherished to do,” he mentioned. “It was a hobby. It was a way for me to just kind of vanish from every little thing, from soccer, from all that things, just go sit down and perform the guitar. It was just a hobby and I actually just appreciated carrying out it—and it turned into a thing much more.”
Miller’s experience lights up when he is told that Bears enthusiasts often talk to about how he’s accomplishing immediately after suffering the gruesome leg injuries.
“Some times are improved than other folks,” he explained. “The nerve problems is going to be a lifelong detail and just basic pain. There are some days I can run all around with the kids—well, gingerly operate about with the kids—and there are other days where I have acquired to aid.
“That’s just how it goes. I glance at it that I’m blessed to be the place I’m at as opposed to not acquiring a leg or what it could have been. I pick to [view] it in that gentle and carry on.”