Tag: Andre Miller

Giants training camp: 10 takeaways from Day 10

The New York Giants wrapped up training camp practice No. 10 on Monday and it included a massive fight involving players and coaches.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Monday preparing for their first preseason game.

It may be hard to believe, but the last week without football until February has come and gone. The Giants, of course, hope to be playing that long themselves.

In a break from recent tradition, head coach Brian Daboll did not hold a press conference on Monday morning. Instead, he appeared on WFAN and allowed his coordinators — Mike Kafka, Wink Martindale and Thomas McGaughey — to handle the media.

Here are 10 quick takeaways from training camp practice No. 10.

Undrafted rookie Andre Miller impressing Giants early in camp

Undrafted rookie Andre Miller (Maine) has made an early impression at New York Giants training camp and may earn himself a roster spot.

During Friday night’s Blue & White scrimmage at MetLife Stadium, undrafted rookie tight end Andre Miller hauled in a touchdown much to the delight of his New York Giants teammates.

But that wasn’t the first time Miller’s name popped up this summer. In fact, he’s made his presence felt with impressive frequency.

Whether Miller, who spent four college seasons at Maine, is playing tight end, fullback of H-back, he consistently stands out and makes plays. That trend continued during Sunday’s practice when Miller made a few nice blocks from the fullback position.

“He has some good quickness, and he’s got good ball skills. He was a receiver at Maine. So, to come in here and switch positions, it’s not the easiest thing,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters of Miller. “I was around a fullback by the name of James Develin, who was one of the all-time great players to be around — smart, tough, dependable — was a defensive end. Went through all of these different leagues. And he learned to play that position at a high level, but it was a work in progress.

“I’d say that’s where Andre is. He does some things well. Some of the things he’s doing for the first time ever. It’s such a different game when you’re in the backfield and looking to block guys in the box rather than outside running against the corner, whoever it may be. So, he’s studying hard. He’s got a long way to go to continue to improve, but he has a skillset that he’s done a good job with it so far.”

Miller’s multi-positional development has been aided by veteran tight end Ricky Seals-Jones missing practice. That has allowed the rookie to receive more reps at tight end while still working at H-back and fullback alongside Jeremiah Hall.

There’s obviously a ways to go in Miller’s progression but his versatility, coachability and willingness to move around will serve him well. He’s making a strong case for a spot on the 53-man roster.

Update: Miller has suffered a broken arm and is expected to miss some time.

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Giants’ Andre Miller: OTAs, minicamp were ‘surreal’ experience

New York Giants TE Andre Miller details the “surreal” experience of going from undrafted to playing alongside guys he uses in Madden.

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University of Maine wide receiver Andre Miller went undrafted back in April, but it didn’t take long before he signed on with the New York Giants.

But that was only the beginning of the transition for Miller. Once he inked his Giants contract, he was promptly converted to tight end. And that’s where he took his snaps during OTAs and minicamp.

“It’s been a little different,” Miller told FOX 22. “Being a receiver your whole life, and then putting your hand in the dirt and doing different things, but we have a really versatile offense.”

More than the physical game, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Miller said the mental side of things proved to be the larger challenge.

“Having more football knowledge and learning — as a receiver you don’t have to worry about as much,” Miller said. “But now, you have to really know all the x’s and o’s, and where everyone else is going. That sort of thing was new to me, and it still is new, so I’m still trying to improve and get better at it.

“I just keep fine tuning all the details that we went over during OTA’s. Still trying to learn new things and keep improving my stuff so when we come back, it’s full-go during training camp.”

Despite some of the struggles that come along with being a rookie and changing positions, Miller said the entire experience was “surreal.” Stepping onto the field and lining up alongside some of the guys he plays in Madden was a wild dose of reality.

“It was crazy, it was surreal walking out into the facility and being a part of something so special with all the other guys,” Miller said. “Seeing guys that I watched play for years now, like Saquon [Barkley] and Daniel Jones. It didn’t seem real at first.

“I play Madden, and playing with them in Madden and then being around them in person is just crazy to me.”

Miller will enter training camp vying for a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster. But in order to earn said spot, he’ll have to beat out several other tight ends and prove his worth on special teams.

Luckily for Miller, the Giants are thin at tight end and place a premium on special teams play, so the opportunity is very much there.

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Giants officially sign 13 undrafted rookie free agents

The New York Giants have officially signed 13 undrafted rookie free agents ahead of their three-day minicamp.

The New York Giants will hold their three-day rookie minicamp beginning on Friday and that meant the arrival of many players on Thursday. It also meant the time had come to officially sign some contracts.

Following the NFL’s schedule release, the Giants officially announced the signing of 13 undrafted rookie free agents — many of whom we had been made aware of previously.

The 13 signees were as follows:

  • TE Austin Allen
  • DB Yusuf Corker
  • DT Jabari Ellis
  • DB Darren Evans
  • DB Zyon Gilbert
  • FB Jeremiah Hall
  • DT Christopher Hinton
  • TE Andre Miller
  • G Josh Rivas
  • DB Trenton Thompson
  • DT Antonio Valentino
  • RB Jashaun Corbin
  • EDGE Tomon Fox

In addition to those 13 players, the Giants have invited a slew of others for tryouts. And while those names have not yet been released, it’s expected that several NFL veterans will also be trying out for a spot on the 90-man roster.

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Philadelphia 76ers in the 2000s decade: Andre Miller was a steady presence

We look back at Andre Miller’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 2000s.

To pass the time until the 2021-22 season begins for the Philadelphia 76ers, we look back at some of the bigger players in the franchise’s recent history.

In this edition, we continue our focus on the 2000s and one of the team’s stars during the decade. We head to the back end of the decade after the Sixers made a trade that rocked the franchise: franchise icon Allen Iverson was sent to the Denver Nuggets for somebody much less flashy.

Philadelphia received Andre Miller, among others, from the Nuggets in the deal. Miller was always a solid player though obviously not the scorer Iverson was — in fairness, not many were. He was a steady veteran presence who made the game run smoothly while being able to score when the time called for it.

Miller led the team to surprise playoff appearances in 2008 and 2009. He averaged 17.0 points and 6.9 assists and they shot 49.2% from the floor while playing in all 82 games in the 2007-08 season.

He followed that by averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 assists while playing all 82 again in the 2008-09 season.

In the 2009 series with the Orlando Magic, Miller averaged 21.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He was a big reason the Sixers even had a chance in any of those games. He teamed with Andre Iguodala to form a pretty solid backcourt pairing.

After the 2009 postseason, he signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers before returning to the Nuggets and having more success with both of those teams. He bounced around to the Washington Wizards, the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 2016.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Playoff Rewind: Andre Miller drops 20 to lead Sixers past Pistons in 2008

We wind the clocks back to 2008 when Andre Miller and the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Detroit Pistons in Game 1.

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The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2008 NBA Playoffs on a roll. They had a hot streak to the end of the regular season as they used their speed and athleticism to run teams ragged to earn themselves a playoff spot.

Their reward for their hard work was a matchup with the heavily favored Detroit Pistons. A team that had reached five straight Eastern Conference Finals and had a strong core of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace who won a title in 2004.

Not a lot of people had confidence that the young Sixers could even get a game against an opponent so formidable, but they were ready to make a statement in Game 1.

Philadelphia outscored Detroit 27-16 in the fourth quarter on their way to a stunning 90-86 win on the road at The Palace of Auburn Hills. They were led by their steady veteran point guard in Andre Miller who used his smooth game to score 20 points and dish out six assists and Andre Iguodala added 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the win.

The win gave Philadelphia some confidence that they can hang with this tough Pistons team and they would go on to take a 2-1 series lead. However, Detroit kicked it into high gear and they won three in a row to finish off the Sixers in six tough games. [lawrence-related id=38656,38653,38644]

Snapshot: A look back at Steve Francis, the bouncy, shifty point guard

With his athleticism and shifty dribble, Steve Francis was one of the most talented guards of his era.

When Steve Francis elevated off the floor and hung in the air, he was prepared to posterize someone if necessary.

Francis, who played his first five NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets, was one of the bounciest and most athletic guards of his day. He had a shifty dribble that helped him regularly skirt past his opponents, ready to finish at the rim.

As the league’s 2000 Rookie of the Year, Francis made an immediate impact. He averaged 18.0 points per game, 6.6 assists and shot 34.5% from the 3-point line in his rookie season.

He made the 1999-00 All-Rookie first team, joining Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom and Wally Szczerbiak.

Francis’ scoring ability was the best attribute of his game. Francis had three seasons where he scored 20 or more points a game — two of those seasons were with Houston. The 2001-02 campaign marked the first of his three All-Star appearances, and it was also his best season scoring-wise.

During that season, Francis scored a career-high 21.6 points per game, grabbed a career-best 7.0 rebounds and dished 6.4 assists. According to NBA.com stats, Francis was fourth in rebounds per game among guards that season.

He played nine seasons, and the only time he didn’t average double figures in scoring was his last season in 2007-08, which was with the Rockets.

Though Francis had individual success, he didn’t go to the playoffs often. He made it to the postseason once in 2004, and the Rockets lost in five games against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first round.

Francis led the Rockets in scoring and assists during the series; he was second in rebounds behind Jim Jackson. Francis averaged 19.2 points per game, 7.6 assists and 8.4 rebounds in those five games.

After starting his career in Houston, Francis then played a season and a half for the Orlando Magic.

Francis was traded to the New York Knicks from Orlando during the 2005-06 season, and he played with New York through the 2006-07 season. Francis finished his career with averages of 18.1 points per game, 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds. He shot 42.9% from the field and 34.1% from deep.

Despite not having many playoff appearances, Francis was one of the most talented guards of his era.

Perhaps more importantly, he was a predecessor for players like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, two of the most explosive and athletic guards of all time.

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Sixers history: Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller lead the way past Nets

This day in Philadelphia 76ers history focuses on the “Run with Us” team.

With the NBA in an indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, we continue our day-by-day look back at the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. We continue down our path into Sixers history every day as we look to fill the void left by the absence of basketball.

This edition of your Sixers history lesson takes you back to one of the more fun teams in franchise history. The Sixers looked dead in the water in the 2007-08 season but used a fast, breakneck style to get themselves back in the playoff race. The marketing department came up with the slogan “Run with Us” and that’s exactly what they did into the playoffs, but they needed a win over the New Jersey Nets to get it done.

April 1, 2008

The Sixers entered the swamps of East Rutherford needing a win to keep their playoff race rolling. They were already on a big roll, but the Nets were not just going to lie down and make it easy on them. Led by Devin Harris and Vince Carter, they gave the Sixers all they could handle, but Philadelphia had too much on this night.

Andre Miller led the Sixers with 24 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds while Andre Iguodala had 17 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in a 108-99 win over the Nets. Philadelphia also received some help from Samuel Dalembert who had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Willie Green had 16, and Lou Williams had 13 points including some big buckets in the fourth quarter to close it out.

After it was all over, Williams was excited about the team’s potential as he told reporters:

It’s good for all of us to get quality time coming down the stretch in fourth-quarter games. It will be great for all of us in the near future in playoff time.

The Sixers did eventually get into the playoffs, but they ran into the Detroit Pistons. While Philadelphia definitely gave them a battle by winning Game 1 on the road and then taking a 2-1 lead, the veteran Pistons won three straight to eliminate the pesky Sixers. [lawrence-related id=28647,28638,28628]

Ranking the top five point guards in the storied history of the Sixers

We have ranked the top 5 point guards in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The point guard position has undergone plenty of changes throughout the history of the NBA. The evolution has included moving from being mainly pass-first a la Jason Kidd and Steve Nash to thinking scoring like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Russell Westbrook.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had plenty of great point guards in their history and in this edition, we’re going to rank the top five in the history of the franchise. The list is going to be based on numbers and accomplishments with the Sixers such as placement on all-time lists. Also, just a disclaimer, Allen Iverson will be included with the shooting guards.

With that said, it’s time to get into this in reverse order.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

1999 NBA re-draft: The way it should have been

There were no superstars in this draft, but we can’t really complain about depth.

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There were no superstars in this draft, but we can’t really complain about depth.

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