You can add Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Scott Schultz to the growing list of onlookers who have been impressed with the play of Aubrey Miller Jr. as of late.
Schultz joined the the SportsCage for his weekly Midweek Sound-Off segment on Wednesday and was more than happy to give the Riders linebacker plenty of props for the intense style of play he brings to the field — so intense that coach Corey Mace had a rather hardcore nickname for the third-year veteran.
“Playing physical like he does, I used to call this guy a serial killer,” Mace said after Miller’s stellar showing in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. “He was all over the (darn) stat sheet. Super proud of that guy."
Miller finished with three tackles, a special teams tackle, sack and pass knockdown by the time things had cleared in Saskatchewan’s 32-26 victory.
Having someone with that kind of versatility who also plays with an extreme edge to their game is most certainly a positive, said Schultz.
“You need a guy like that,” Schultz said. “He definitely is fulfilling that for the Riders this year. He's a guy that pops up and has some great performances and he's really taken hold of the leadership position on that defence.”
Schultz played with a few similar players in his time with the Riders, and Miller’s play harkened back to a fellow Plaza of Honour inductee.
“What he reminds me of is Reggie ‘The Reaper’ Hunt,” Schultz said. “Like Reggie, he has an intimidation factor about him. He didn't want to just make the tackle, he wanted you to feel it, and there was that intention behind it. This guy exhibits that quite a bit.”
Described by a B.C. Lions scout as playing with 'the right amount of hate,' Miller Jr. explained his style after the win over Winnipeg.
“Domination,” he began. “Anybody who lines up on the opposite side of the ball is not with us. It's the green guys versus everybody, the good guys versus everybody. Whoever lined up across is trying to get out of our way. They got to lay down.”
Miller used the likes of NFL legends Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor as examples for what he’s trying to achieve on the field.
“This is how the game is supposed to be,” he said. “Those guys who play with the grit and the grind, want to bring pain upon the game. I feel like that's what the game is and anybody that's across from us got to lay down.”
As one might expect, Miller is enjoying a career year with the Riders, having racked up 18 tackles, including 14 on special teams.
The Riders are back in action for the Labour Day Classic rematch on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff at 2 p.m. at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show begins at 11 a.m. with Teagan Witko, Wes Cates and plenty of special guests. Dave Thomas and analyst Luc Mullinder will then have the game call at kickoff at 2 p.m.
