Card: Sage 2012
Acquired: 2017, Ebay

Lamar Miller has moved into white whale territory for me. I have been trying hard to get his autograph for the past few years now. I even went to what I thought was a signing down in Houston that he was doing at a bank. When I arrived after fighting my way through the rain, I found out that he was not going to sign outside items. There is no greater annoyance than an event not posting on their website that outside items are not allowed. I attempted to appeal to Lamar through his Twitter feed but, alas I was out of luck. It was a low point to my collecting- and it did some damage to my interest in making these long distance drives to autograph events around the state.

Lamar played for the Hurricanes from 2010 to 2011. He piled up the numbers in 2011 posting 227 carries for 1272 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also got involved in the passing game, catching 17 passes, and a little bit of time in the return game. He’d be selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Lamar worked his way into the starting lineup in 2013, starting 15 games that year. His first impact season came in 2014 when Miller ran for 1099 yards and 8 TDs including a 97 yarder. Over the years, Lamar became more involved in the passing game catching a career high 47 passes in 2015. 

In 2016 the Houston Texans were looking to reload at two workhorse positions, quarterback and runningback. The Texans plucked the two highest rated players from the free agency pool: Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller on the same day. I was beside myself with the signing of Miller. I knew that he was going to be counted on to replace Arian Foster. When given the choice of getting an Osweiler or Lamar Miller jersey- I didn’t skip a beat in selecting Lamar.  During his first season with the Texans, he carried the ball a career high 268 times, but the Texans essentially ran him into the ground. He finished with 1073 yards on the season in 14 starts. In his crowning moment, the Texans came back for victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Lamar caught a pass and did a 360 spin and dodged 3 would be tacklers en route to the endzone.

2017 was a down year for Lamar. He’d carry the ball 238 times for 888 yards in 13 starts and catch a career high 3 TDs. I am of the opinion that the team’s offensive scheme doesn’t compliment Lamar’s running style. Lamar is a great slasher back. You get him outside the tackles and let him work in open space and he’s pretty amazing. 

In 2018, Lamar earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. Starting 14 contests he put together 973 yards on 210 carries. His 4.6 YPC was his highest since 2014. He’d also become the first RB in NFL history with two 95+ yard TD runs- in his career, as he torched the Tennessee Titans during a pivotal matchup for a 97 yard gallop. Miller also chipped in 163 yards on 25 receptions.

Considered the incumbent back entering 2019, Miller looks to build off of an encouraging 2018 campaign.