Miami Dolphins Over/Under: Lamar Miller

Casual fans were upset when it became apparent that the Dolphins wouldn’t be resigning Reggie Bush this offseason. Reggie is a big name player and provided jaw-dropping highlights on the regular.

But truth be told, even after running for over 1,000 yards in 2011 and averaging 4.3 yards per carry in 2012, he still isn’t an ideal true number one back. Bush proved capable of holding down that role, but he is certainly upgradeable.

And the Dolphins believe they have that upgrade in Lamar Miller.

In limited action, Miller looked the part as a rookie. He was, in my opinion, the most consistent runner in the Dolphins’ backfield. While Reggie Bush too often tried to stretch runs to the outside only to lose yardage, Miller consistently ran north and south.

He isn’t quite as explosive as Reggie, but Miller still has solid speed and quickness. And Miller is much more reliable running between the tackles.

He only ran for 250 yards in year one, but his 4.9 yards per carry average is a big reason why the Dolphins are optimistic Miller can carry the load as the primary back this season.

But is the optimism surrounding Miller warranted? After all, his body of work is only 51 carries. Is 51 carries really enough to make any concrete judgments? Let’s set Lamar Miller’s over/under

Lamar Miller over/under: 1,075 rushing yards and 6.5 touchdowns

My take: Over on rushing yards, under on touchdowns

I have high expectations for Miller in his second season. If he can stay healthy, I could see him amass 1,200 rushing yards to be honest. He is a decisive runner with an all-around skill set. I believe letting Reggie Bush walk away and entrusting the starting role to Miller will prove to be a wise decision by Jeff Ireland.

It’s somewhat of a risk considering we only saw Miller run the ball 51 times as a rookie and he does have some durability concerns, but I think he showed enough promise even with a limited role to be comfortable moving forward with him as the starter.

Of course, his production will be dependent upon an offensive line in flux. But while pass protection is a major concern, we shouldn’t see a large drop-off in run blocking ability from the Dolphins’ O-line.

Seven touchdowns may be a bit high for Miller, however. The winner of the battle between Daniel Thomas and Mike Gillislee should see more snaps around the goal-line in short-yardage situations. But between the 20’s I expect to see Miller lead an improved Dolphins’ rushing attack and earn his first 1K-yard season.

It’s time to hear from you. Do you see Lamar Miller running for over 1,075 rushing yards and at least seven touchdowns this season?

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