Mike Furrey was hired in 2018 to do one job. Make the Chicago Bears wide receiving corps a success. That is his duty. His mission and he intended to attack it with single-minded determination. The mentality of a former undrafted free agent. Want to get better? There is no solution other than to accept the hard work. If there was one player that struggled to grasp this concept, it was Anthony Miller.
The Bears traded up to get the Memphis star in 2018. They felt he had a world of potential. A mix of speed, quickness, and strength that could make him one of the most dangerous slot receivers in the NFL. There certainly were signs that first year. Miller caught seven touchdown passes. That is why expectations were so high going into 2019.
Things did not start well. Through his first nine games of the season, the receiver managed just 218 yards on 17 catches. His prolonged slump angered Furrey because he knew the kid was so much better than that. It’s why he wasn’t afraid to tell Miller the truth about how lazy he was with his work ethic at the time, harsh as it may have been.
“I just don’t think from a maturity standpoint and a preparation standpoint that Anthony was 100% all in,” Furrey said. “He still had that college mentality that ability was going to allow him to overcome whatever he wanted to overcome in games. … He was allowed to get away with a lot of stuff in college. And his statistics were phenomenal. But that stuff just doesn’t work in the pros. And it’s a hard transition.”
“It’s not just playground,” Furrey said. “We’ve talked about that the last couple years — that it’s not playground.”
Anthony Miller finally reached his turning point on Thanksgiving
Furrey believes the light finally went on during the Bears’ visit to Detroit for Thanksgiving against the Lions. He had a couple of decent games prior to that against the Rams and Giants. Yet it was there where things took off. Miller had 140 yards on the afternoon including two huge catches in the final minutes to help the Bears retake the lead and end up winning the game.
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That was when he seemed to appreciate what the hard work before games could do. After that Furrey started to see Miller really embrace film study and mastering the playbook. Suddenly he’s gone from one-word answers in meetings to full sentences. He works tirelessly on his routes in practice and shows an understanding of defensive coverages.
It feels like Miller clear the most important hurdle to true NFL success for a wide receiver. The only thing left is whether he can stay healthy enough to exploit it. One thing is certain. Furrey isn’t about to go easy on him just because he’s doing things the right way now.
