During a Friday interview on 105.9 The X Radio, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller was asked how his rehab is coming along with training camp about to come to a close. While he
didn\’t give a timeframe on when he might be ready to play, he did hint that he is stacking good days on top of each other right now.
“I\’m doing good, I\’m doing good,” said Miller. “Like I said from the first, I\’m just trying to take it day-by-day and try to stay positive and have a good day each day and whenever that adds up for me to come back, so be it. Obviously, if I keep stacking good days, it\’s going to be sooner rather than later.”
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has said all offseason he thinks there\’s a good chance Miller will be ready to go for the season opener against the Tennessee Titans, and the veteran tight end was asked if those predictions have put any unneeded pressure on him to meet them.
“It doesn\’t add any pressure,” he said. “There\’s only so much you can do in a rehab process and like I said, take it day-by-day, try to make each day a good one and hope that your body continues to heal and get ready as soon as I can.”
Thanks in part to the continued advancements being made in the medical field as it relates to quicker returns from ACL and MCL injuries, Miller was asked if he feels he is where he should be currently in his rehab based on research and what the doctors have told him.
“I think from the start they said, \’Don\’t compare yourself to other people. Your body\’s going to heal differently; it\’s going to react different to treatments; the different rehab exercises differently, so just try to make each day a positive and go from there.\'”
The consensus speculation right now is that Miller will be removed from the Active PUP list right before the start of the season, but that he won\’t be ready to play until after the bye week. None of that is guaranteed, however, as the Steelers refuse to tip their hand on what their intentions are with him at this point.
While Miller, as expected, has been pretty vague about his recovery all offseason, it does appear as though he\’s happy with the way things are coming along. That\’s all you can hope for at this point and like it or not, he won\’t have the final say as to when he returns to action.
