Sure, the visions of JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden making the Oakland Raiders relevant again are nice and dandy.
Potentially watching Russell -- the 6-foot-6, 200 ... 200 ... what ever he is now, $61 million second-year quarterback -- zip the ball deep down field and McFadden -- the 6-foot-2, 215 pound $60 million tail back -- scamper down the sidelines for a big gain makes Oakland actually watchable this season.
And who could forget the money Raiders' owner Al Davis sunk into the defense.
Former Giants' safety Gibril Wilson (six-years, $39 million) got paid and so did former Falcons' corner back DeAngelo Hall (six-years, $66 million). And who could forget the mind-numbing seven-year $50 million pact defensive end Tommy Kelly signed.
But forget all the hype you've heard on the Russell-McFadden connection and Oakland's revamped defense.
While J-Russ and DMC will grab the headlines as the Raiders' attempt to claw its way out of the NFL's cellar, there's another youngster who will play as big -- or even more -- of a role in Oakland's march toward improvement: Tight end Zach Miller.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound second-year end will be instrumental as his well-known millionaire cohorts. Unlike Rusell and McFadden, Miller is scheduled to make a mere $370,000 as a Raider this upcoming season.
Even though he's making peanuts compared to others, Miller's impact on the field is priceless.
Last season, the 22-year-old and former Sun Devil started slow, posting 10 catches for 71 yards and a visit to the end zone through his first six games. While he doesn't have the ability to stretch the field like other tight ends, Miller has a good understanding of route running and finds the soft spots in opposing defenses. He's also an above-average blocker.
Sure, there were instances where he was almost non-existent in some stretches (it didn't help he had to catch balls from two different quarterbacks, Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper as the season wore on), but Miller progressed steadily.
He ended up catching 34 more passes for 373 yards, posting two more touchdowns, finishing third amongst Raider pass catchers that year. All this while being stuck in the league's second-worse passing offense.
Miller's final two appearances of the 2007 season showcased the chemistry between he and Russell. Against San Diego, Miller provided Russell with a reliable safety net, constantly finding the holes, getting open, and finished with eight catches for 84 yards. In all, Russell and Miller connected for 11 passes during the stretch.
His importance is multiplied exponentially when one looks at the weapons Russell has at his disposal this season.
The running game appears set with Justin Fargas as the lead back and McFadden and Michael Bush waiting in the wings, so there's no worry there.
But jump to the wide receivers on the roster and you'll quickly realize where Miller fits in.
New addition Javon Walker -- who signed a whopping six-year $55 million deal after coming off of knee surgery -- has been hobbled and overweight at recent Raider minicamps. He is, however, a star receiver when healthy. Ronald Curry, a reliable third-down target, was a starter last season (Jerry Porter, was the other and is now on the Jaguars) leading the Raiders in catches and yardage catching 55 passes for 717 yards and four touchdowns. But he doesn't have elite speed and his best work as a Raider has come in the slot as a third receiver.
Aside from those two, the rest of the wide receiver corp is a question mark.
Another new addition, Drew Carter (formerly of the Panthers and caught 38 passes for 517 yards and 4 touchdowns last season) has shown early signs of perhaps starting next season during minicamps, but it's too early to tell. The rest of the group is as follows: Johnnie Lee Higgins (a second-year wide out from UTEP who had more downs that ups last season as a rookie), Chris McFoy, William Buchanon and rookies Arman Shields and Chaz Schilens. All unproven commodities.
Without a true No. 1 receiver, Miller might once again find himself on the receiving end of several Rusell passes.
With Porter gone and Curry the only other season pass catcher in the system, Miller is the best Oakland has at this point.
And, as an added bonus, Miller faces virtually no competition from other tight ends on the roster.
John Madsen, a converted wide receiver, has the speed to stretch the field, but is limited in his knowledge of the game and has lackluster blocking ability. As a result, he caught only eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown last season. That makes Miller the No. 1 target at tight end.
While Russell's arm and McFadden's legs will garner the most attention this season, don't forget about Miller.
Take a closer look and it just might be No. 80 on the receiving end of a dazzling Russell pass or the player making the key block that allowed McFadden to bust loose for a big gain.
