Lamar Miller is getting acclimated more than just the Houston heat, a relatively easy transition for the Miami native, during training camp. After three days of full pads, the Texans starting running back is also finding his rhythm in the ground game.
"No question, he's getting a rhythm into the run," head coach Bill O'Brien said Thursday. "You don't run the ball at all in the offseason because it's no pads and it's a passing camp so it does take a while to get back in the rhythm of playing in pads at any position. He's definitely back in the rhythm of playing in full pads."
Miller, who signed with the Texans in March, had a successful four-year career for the Dolphins. Over the past two seasons (2014-15), he ranked fourth in the league in total rushing yardage (1,971) and was only one of two players to score 8-or-more rushing touchdowns in each year. However, Miller starts fresh with the Texans, learning a new playbook and adjusting to a different offensive line.
"Yeah, there's a little bit more out there for me," Miller said Thursday in an interview with Texans TV. "I'm just trying to get adjusted to how my guys block and I feel like once we get in a rhythm, everything will start clicking. But this is only the third day in pads and we still have got a lot of room for improvement so we're just out here just trying to put in the work."
Miller, who signed with the Texans the same day as Brock Osweiler, has been working on his receiving skills during the offseason and non-padded practice days. Miller and the running backs stayed after practice Thursday for extra work with the quarterback. Miller says he's also putting in more work catching the ball out of the backfield during this year's camp, and it's starting to show in his chemistry with Osweiler.
"We've been doing this since OTA's now with the quarterbacks and running backs," Miller said. "So everyday we're just trying to put in the work; just get better. By the time of the first regular season game, we should have the timing and everything done. We should be good."
Training camp is currently underway at the Houston Methodist Center. The Texans will travel to San Francisco for their first preseason game on Sunday, Aug. 14 with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT.
Check out the best pictures from #TexansCamp Day 5.
