Steelers' All-Time Leading Tight End Heath Miller Told The Secrets To Becoming Ben Roethlisberger's Favorite Target

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some amazing duos throughout the history of the organization. This is true for both sides of the ball. It was true back in the 1970s when the franchise was an absolute dynasty, and it is also true of the successful teams that won Super Bowls in the 2000s. Those teams were defensive-minded, but there was still some excitement on offense. Ben Roethlisberger provided a spark almost right after he was drafted in 2004, and Heath Miller did the same during his rookie season in 2005. The two played together for 11 seasons, and they had a special type of chemistry on the field.

Roethlisberger was Pittsburgh's first-round pick in 2004, and Miller was the organization's first-round selection in 2005. The two established a reliable connection pretty early on, and that continued on for the next decade or so as the duo won two Super Bowls and went to three. They were great at making plays off-script, kind of in the same way that Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have been able to for the Kansas City Chiefs. Roethlisberger has always been adamant that Miller is his favorite target that he has ever played with, and that is something he said recently on Deebo & Joe when speaking with his former teammates James Harrison and Joe Haden.

Miller was the guest on the show on Monday, and he was asked about Roethlisberger naming him as his favorite target. He spoke about how the two established such a great connection.

"I think it took a little bit of time, but a lot of it was just natural," Miller said. "I think the fact that I did play quarterback before helped. I don't know, I grew up playing a ton of sports, I think Ben grew up playing a ton of sports as well; we just had that kind of natural knack and feel for how to play the game with each other. We just played off of each other, and there was a lot of unspoken stuff. I wish I could say we spent hours in the film room or hours on the field after practice, but no, just kind of a natural thing that worked together."

Miller was a quarterback during his high school career, and he was originally recruited to Virginia to play the position. That is another interesting parallel to Mahomes and Kelce, as Kelce started off as a quarterback at Cincinnati. Miller never actually played in a college game at quarterback as he switched to tight end during his redshirt freshman year. However, his prior experience at the position could have played a role in him and Roethlisberger consistently being on the same page.

Roethlisberger and Miller also came into the league around the same time, and Pittsburgh's roster was full of established veterans at that time in history. This means the two likely bonded together and the connection was somewhat easy to come by.

The quarterback is often praised for his ability to extend plays and scramble, despite the fact that he is certainly not a dual-threat quarterback. However, when he extended plays and used his patented pump fake, it caused defenses to break down. This would allow Miller to find a soft spot in the zone, and Roethlisberger would fire the ball in there. The two worked perfectly together.

Steelers Players Made One Another Better During Their Careers

It is safe to say that Miller and Roethlisberger each owe a large part of their careers to the other. The two connected on a pass 592 times, with 41 of them being touchdowns. Miller is the all-time receiving leader in Steelers history when it comes to the tight end position, and he should be remembered for his greatness. 

What did you think about Miller and Roethlisberger's connection on the field? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

#SteelerNation