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*Strength, Power, and Mayhem - BRNXB0MBERS - 03-08-2020
STRENGTH, POWER, AND MAYHEM
A Preview of the Arizona Outlaws Defense
Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic | Mar 8, 2020 | Phoenix
![[Image: https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg....F960x0.jpg]](https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F451178160%2F960x0.jpg)
NT Pete Miller has dropped into S21 with his massive size
Pete Miller is reviving adjectives once used to describe pro football in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Simulation football used to be a three-hour show of strength, power, and mayhem, according to HOFer Dan Miller.
The brutality of the game 30-40 years ago has a modernized version in the form of New Orleans, Orange County, and Colorado. And here comes Pete Miller to bring Arizona into that conversation. Strength, power, and mayhem: those three words are Pete Miller, the outspoken rookie from Norfolk and the University of Kentucky.
The S21 season is less than a week away and Miller is being his usual loud, opinionated, fun-loving self as he and the rest of the Outlaws await their next series of snaps during the final days of training camp. It's barely 11:00 a.m., and the temperature is already a scorching 97 degrees.
"It’s going to be a hot year," Miller says to fellow defensive tackle Reggie Culbertson, Arizona’s first round pick in the S20 NSFL Draft.
Culbertson responds, "That's how we like it."
Heat, whether generated from the unforgiving Arizona sunshine or from the ever-present pressure from TV cameras watching his every move, is nothing new to Miller.
Heat is what comes with the territory when you're a first or second round pick and are expected to contribute right away. When you're expected to be one of the best players on one of the NSFL's most suffocating defenses, the spotlight will always find you.
Miller, who has Hall of Fame aspirations, is a dedicated student of the game. He is relentlessly searching for ways to improve his performance and become an even more dominating, menacing presence on the field.
"I want to be in the conversation for one of the best players who ever played this game", Miller said. "When I retire, I won’t be thinking about the money, the attention, the fame, the big contract. That is not what motivates me. Winning. Winning and being the best nose tackle who ever played this game - that's my motivation."
That declaration does not bode well for opponents, who say Miller is already the most dominant young interior defensive lineman in all of the NSFL. Opposing offensive linemen and coaches agree that their primary focus when preparing to face the Outlaws defense is to contain Miller and Culbertson.
"He keeps pushing, and fighting, and pressuring," said New Orleans Second Line offensive lineman Givussafare Rubbe. "Have you seen those weird shows on TV? Where they show what seems like 50,000 mice running through fields and pastures, just devouring cows, pigs, and whatever else is out there? That's Arizona's defense. And it all starts with Miller and the interior of the defensive line."
Outlaws colorful co-GM dankoa added, "I've seen Plop gassed, running on empty, and he still dominates. Even when he is completely worn out, he's as good as anybody, and we've only scratched the surface of how good he can be."
Miller’s road to being one of the top defensive players in the NSFL began during his first game as a waiver pickup in S19. Myrtle Beach, an already strong defensive team, picked up Miller and got him involved immediately. Even though he didn’t put up great stats, the raw power and talent was obvious.
"Disruptive and overwhelming" are the words Buccaneers GM Frostbite chose to describe Miller’s performance that season. “He was very raw, not polished at all. But, wow, did he have the potential. I wish we were able to get him for S20, but it didn’t work out that way. He’s going to do some great things in this league.”
Miller’s longtime agent Drew Rosencondo described the season like this: "Not only did those first few games put the SFL on notice, but it also earned Plop million of dollars. We met in Myrtle Beach after the season, and we basically hammered out the new deal in a matter of hours. It was that quick and easy."
Miller finished the S20 season with 45 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, and two forced fumbles while helping the Norfolk Seawolves to a 6-8 record (3rd best in the league) and a trip to the DSFL SFC Championship game before losing to his former team, the Buccaneers. Even though the Seawolves lost, Miller cemented himself as a top defensive player in the DSFL.
After pushing himself through an extensive workout regimen during training camp, which resulted in a nearly 40 pound weight loss, Miller, who now weighs in at a comfortable 310 pounds, set out to prove that Arizona’s defense will be a dominant force for years to come.
Miller is doing his part.
He might be 35 pounds lighter, but he is still the same guy with an aggressive personality that motivates those around him to perform at a higher level.
Since the team's disappointing 30-23 loss to the eventual champion Austin Copperheads in the ASFC opening round, Outlaws General Manager Unicorn, who selected Miller in the second round of the S21 NSFL Draft, has taken the necessary steps to ensure Arizona’s continued success on the defensive side of the ball. In addition to Miller at pick 14, Arizona also selected Trevor Mouseman (LB) at 16, Juane Arc (DT) at 34, and Jackmerius Tacktheritrix (DE) at 44. They also added Atlas Quin (CB) from the S21 class and retained inactives Ricardo Morris (DT), Beau Montgomery (CB), Marlo Smart (LB), and Joseph Henry (DE).
Arizona also improved on offense by drafting or acquiring Baby Yoda, George O’Donnell, Justice Green, and J.J. Jay-Jaymison.
The Outlaws now boast an imposing defensive line that features four players considered one of the best at their positions – Ricardo Morris, Shane Masters, Reggie Culbertson, and Pete “Plop” Miller. Morris has posted 223 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 28 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one TD over six seasons. Masters has posted 103 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles in three seasons. Culbertson posted 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three sacks last season for the Outlaws.
Miller, who comes to Arizona after posting 45 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, and two forced fumbles for Norfolk in the DSFL last season, will give the Outlaws a pure power-rusher on the interior for the first time in Unicorn's tenure as GM.
With all of the pieces apparently in place, Miller, Pro Bowl free safety Lamont McKinnie, All-Pro corner back Lucas Knight, and co-GM dankoa are going about the business of planning for the upcoming season.
"We're constantly discussing and planning our defensive schemes. We've watched a lot of tape," Miller said. "We're going to prioritize what we do best – stifling the run game, putting pressure on the QB, locking down the outside, and putting teams in third and long situations. That will give us our best chance to win."
Pete Miller and the Outlaws defense at their best? That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
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1196 words*Strength, Power, and Mayhem - Drizzy - 03-08-2020
Love this, hyped to play our rookie seasons together
*Strength, Power, and Mayhem - BRNXB0MBERS - 03-08-2020
Hell yeah brother, cheers from Arizona