One quote from New Orleans Saints Kellen Moore’s press conference at the end of the preseason stood out from the rest. While discussing Kendre Miller, Moore said, “whatever’s happened in the past, I don’t really care about.” This quote encapsulates what a change to a new regime represents for many players.
It's a fresh start. It is a new beginning for players like Miller or defensive players like Khristian Boyd, who gets to step into a defensive system that allows him to play nose tackle. These are the types of blank slates that come with regime changes.
With the Saints opening game against the Arizona Cardinals just five days away, we'll take a look at how Kendre Miller has taken full advantage of the fresh start provided to him.
Saints hiring Kellen Moore hit the refresh button on Kendre Miller's career
This may seem hyperbolic, but if Dennis Allen was still the Saints head coach, Kendre Miller may not have made the team. When you look at the premature decision to put Miller on injured reserve last season, it would easy to surmise Allen had given up on Miller, or at least reached his breaking point on Miller.
It wouldn't have been surprising to see Allen decide to move on from Miller altogether. Miller's injuries put him in that position. Let's reflect back to Moore's previous quote and look at the whole statement.
“Whatever’s happened in the past, I don’t really care about because what we’ve seen has been awesome.”
Moore didn't walk into New Orleans and view Miller from the lens of what happened in the past. Miller needed that. He needed a coach who wouldn't look at him and see an injury prone running back. That doesn't mean not taking precautions. The Saints still drafted Devin Neal near the end of the NFL draft, but Miller was still given every opportunity to show he could play.
That's what Miller did. He looked fantastic in preseason and looks primed to be a great compliment to Alvin Kamara. Miller made it through training camp healthy, and you saw what he could do with good blocking in the final preseason game.
Miller got a new coach and a new number. The Big 5 era for Kendre Miller is already generating excitement.