The tight end has become one of the top positions in the NFL with this new breed of receiver like guys. A really good tight end has turned into one of the most dangerous weapons in the whole league, because of the various match up problems. So with the Super Bowl in a couple days which team has the better tight end the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks?
Zach Miller Seattle Seahawks
Miller is more of an old school tight end, big strong guy thats pretty versatile. He’s very important to the Seahawks run game and he’s also one of Russell Wilson’s favorite targets. Miller is a former pro bowler who had some pretty good years with the Oakland Raiders. He had his best year in 2009 where he hauled in a career high 66 passes for 805 yards and three touchdowns. This year he didn’t have good year receiving with only 387 yards but he’s more of an old school tight end with the Seahawks.
Miller is more of a run blocker now in the Seahawks run first option, so he is very important to the Seahawks offense. He is also a very difficult target to stop in the end zone, he hauled in five touchdowns this season. But I do think his pro bowl days are behind him as he is in a run first offense and has gotten a up there in age. He’s a good player and he’ll help the Seahawks win plenty games in the next couple years, but is he the best tight end playing in the Super Bowl?
Julius Thomas Denver Broncos
Thomas was one of the breakout players in the league this year. He’s one of the new breed of tight ends with basketball backgrounds. He lacks skill in the run blocking area but but he makes up for it with speed and athleticism in the passing game. He was one of the top receiving tight ends in the league totaling 788 yards through the air along with 12 touchdowns. He’s currently second on the Broncos in play off receptions with 14.
The only thing about Thomas I don’t like is that he’s not a fundamentally sound player. This isn’t really his fault as he’s more of a basketball player turned tight end so he still has a lot to learn. But when we are talking about who the best player is I usually like the more versatile player, rather than one thats just really good at one thing. Thomas may be a top five receiving tight ends in the league but he’s not good at all in the running game and I think he still needs to work on his release out of the three point stance.
In this case however I still have to give the nod to Thomas. Both guys are great for what their respective teams need I just feel Thomas has the ability to do the most damage and take over a game. If he can have a game like he did in week five at Dallas tallying 122 yards and two touchdowns then there’s not much chance for Seattle. His weaknesses aren’t very noticeable either since the Broncos are a heavy pass squad. They also give him a lot of opportunities to line up off the line in the receiver stance where I feel he’s a little more comfortable.
Miller is definitely the more well rounded player and probably is the better “football player”. But with Thomas’s explosiveness and ability to create mitch matches I like him more as a tight end.