'A work in progress:' Where Blake Miller needs most growth by Week 1

Always quick with a nickname, Dan Campbell has dubbed the Lions' new right tackle "Miller Lite." It will be Miller Time Thursday night in Cincinnati, where Blake Miller is slated to start in Detroit's preseason opener against the Bengals. Campbell wants to "douse him with reps" between now and Week 1. Like a beer shower, the suds can sometimes sting.

Early in one drive during team drills Tuesday, Aidan Hutchinson beat Miller cleanly for a sack of Jared Goff. That's been a rather familiar sight in training camp. Hutchinson has won his fair share of reps against Penei Sewell, too, but Miller, at times, has looked like easy prey for one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.

In that same drive, Miller and the rest of the offensive line gave Goff plenty of time to uncork a long completion over the middle to Isaac TeSlaa and a seam shot to Brock Wright that nearly went for a touchdown. Miller also held up well on several passes to Sam LaPorta (including a red-zone touchdown) on a busy day for Detroit's star tight end, who looks sharper with each practice.

For a rookie offensive tackle, this is more or less what you would expect.

"Look, he's had ups and downs," Campbell said Monday. "It's been inconsistent. That's part of the growth. And the best thing for him is Hutch. That's the best. And (D.J.) Wonnum over there as well, a veteran guy that gives him some good changeups.

"So this is a work in progress. I am not discouraged. Not one bit. And I don't care if he gets beat for the next two weeks, I'm not going to be discouraged because he will come out of this and be a better player because of it. I like where he's at. Just keep growing."

Here's one thing the Lions love about Miller, who started every game of his four-year career at Clemson: he keeps his head. Some of those reps against Hutchinson have no doubt been humbling. Others have been encouraging. Ask Miller about them and he smiles, appreciative of the chance to improve.

"It’s been amazing," Miller said in an interview that will air in Thursday night's pregame show on the Lions Radio Network, 97.1 The Ticket. "There’s good and there’s bad and you can learn just as much from the bad as you can the good. He’s a great person to go against every day. If there’s any little flaw in something that you do, he’ll expose that. That’s a good thing. I’d rather be exposed here in practice than when it’s truly, truly costly to us, so I really appreciate those reps against him. They’re invaluable."

Miller is a critically important piece to Detroit's rebuilt offensive line, especially with new center Cade Mays out for several weeks with a wrist injury. With shaky ground in the middle, the Lions need their ends to be stable. Penei Sewell is a given, even as he flips to the left. On the right, the Lions need Miller to come along quickly. As Goff said last week on the NFL Network, "He needs to play like a starter."

"And I think he knows that. And he’s done a great job, he really has. He’s having his rookie mistakes like we all have had, but to me, I don’t often see the same mistake twice, which is a great sign. And then his good reps are really good. He’s learning, he's getting better, but the standard and the level of play we need him to play at is significant," said Goff.

Goff has been encouraging of Miller from the get-go, understanding the challenge. He's also been demanding, aware of the stakes. When Miller committed a false start penalty near the goal line in a red-zone period last week, Goff barked at the rookie in apparent frustration. Larry Borom replaced Miller on the ensuing snap and the Lions ran behind him (and Tate Ratledge) for a touchdown.

In a red zone period on Monday, Miller sealed off the right side of the line as Jahmyr Gibbs bounced it outside, put Nick Whiteside on skates and scooted into the end zone. The Lions intend for Miller to win the job at right tackle. By all accounts he will. Asked what he needs to see from Miller over the rest of camp to know that he's their guy by Week 1, Campbell pointed back to consistency and then said, "I think a lot of it right now is the pass protection."

"I like the run game, but really, it's the whole game," Campbell said. "But listen, he's in a good spot. And we are going to douse him with reps. We are going to find a way and he will find a way to be the guy. And look, if it doesn't work out and he's just not quite ready, then we got Larry. Larry's having a good camp and it'll be good."

The run game is crucial for the Lions this season. It faltered last year as an aging offensive line started to break, especially in some big games down the stretch. The Lions lost their identity along the way. They won't reclaim it without re-establishing their ability to pound the rock. Miller is a "finisher" on the ground, Brad Holmes said the night they drafted him.

"He prides himself on that," said Holmes. "A lot of tackles will say that because it sounds good to say in an interview, but his tape actually says that. That's why he's such a fit."

New OC Drew Petzing is a fit for what he showed in Arizona. When healthy, the Cardinals ran downhill. They played what Campbell called "in-your-face" football that also made you think. It was similar to Detroit's offense under Ben Johnson, crushing and creative at the same time.

Early in camp, Petzing issued a challenge to the Lions' offensive line: "If you’re really good at running the ball, you should be able to tell the other team you’re running the ball. If they can’t stop it, that gets scary for a defense, when they’re sitting there and they know it’s coming and there’s nothing they can do about it."

The message resonated with Miller.

"He vocalized that to us in a meeting and that really got me fired up, got me going," said Miller. I wholeheartedly agree with him. I think that everything starts with the run and physicality. Really the identity of your team is in who you are when it comes to running the football. There’s no greater triumph than being able to go out there, the other team knows it’s a run, and converting and getting positive yards."

No, Miller hasn't been overly-impressive camp thus far in camp. On a rookie curve, he might be looking at a C+/B-. But we're less than halfway through, with three preseason games to come. More importantly, Miller has the attitude and play-style the Lions are seeking, and the conscientiousness to correct his mistakes.

As Campbell put it, "He's exactly what we thought he would be." He cares and he's even-keeled.

"He does not get too high, he does not get too low. His demeanor's just right," said Campbell. "And you've got to have that, especially if you're a young player. You have to be willing to learn from what just happened on the previous rep. And when you go against Hutch every day, it's important that you don't go in the tank and that you memory bank, 'What just happened? How can I be better?'

"This is going to serve him so well."

It should serve the Lions, too.