Bears TE Miller in a good place on long road to recovery
No one knows how long Zach Miller's journey will be on the winding road back from the injury that nearly cost him the lower part of his left leg, or even where it will end.
But the Bears' tight end is in a good place right now.
The team did its part by re-signing Miller on Monday to a one-year $458,000 contract, even though no one expects him to play this year, if ever. Now, it's up to Miller, who says he will do all he can to get back on the field, but who also accepts that it may never happen.
"My daily (routine) is, I'll be here, I'll rehab, I'll go to meetings, be a part of the football team as I had before, (but) obviously I'm just not able to play," he said at Halas Hall before his teammates participated in the first of three mandatory minicamp practices. "Any way I can help any of the guys in our TE room and really our football team, that's going to kind of be my role for the year."
Miller believes being around his teammates will have a cathartic effect on his physical, mental and spiritual recovery following nine surgeries necessitated by the grotesque manner in which his left knee bent in an Oct. 29 game against the Saints. The most serious injury was a torn artery behind his kneecap that required emergency surgery to prevent amputation. He also dislocated his knee and suffered damage to multiple ligaments.
"That's huge," Miller said of the camaraderie at Halas Hall. "This could be very difficult. I could be removed from what I've been used to for a very long time - and not have that brotherhood and not have people see me every day or check in on me. That stuff matters. Having that positivity adds to my happiness. It for sure helps me in my recovery."
But seeing Miller is also a boost for his teammates, who have newfound appreciation for their fallen comrade and for the Bears' organization because of the way it's taken care of a wounded player.
"That's my guy," Bears DE Akiem Hicks said. "Just seeing his road, and the struggles that he's had to go through because of his injury. I am happy that I'm a part of an organization that will take care of its players. They're willing to make sure that we're all right and give us the opportunity to get better. Loyalty - that's what I saw it as."
Miller walked to the podium Tuesday using only the assistance of a brace that helped lift his foot. He has only recently regained that ability, which came with the return of nerve activity. Running is somewhere way down the road, although the upbeat 6-foot-5 Miller admitted he'd jogged a few steps recently, a minor violation of doctor's orders. His milestones will be taken as they occur, without any timetables.
"I'm not going to put any limits on that," he said. "With my doctors and everyone I spoke to, we're not going to put any set limitations on this. We're just going to take it as it goes. There has not been a definitive, 'You can never do this again.' That hasn't been talked about. I'm just going to do as much as I can to get that point and see what happens.
"My thing is to just get as strong as I can get. I don't want to push it. (But) I'm not going to take it slow at all. I'm not going to baby it. I'm going to do what I can, when I can, and push those limits, but I'm not going to rush getting back into it. I don't think that's a good decision. I'll just try to make it happen as fast as I can, but we'll have to see when that is."
Whatever route his physical recovery takes, Miller's mindset figures to remain strong.
"I don't think I've ever been mentally defeated - ever," he said. "I feel good. I'm happy with where I'm at and with my recovery. I'm happy with the steps that we've made. Positivity has been one of my qualities that have helped get me through all this stuff.
"I'm in a good place right now."
• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.