Mike Miller is back in the Gray Cup, but with a different twist.

Miller helped Winnipeg to three straight appearances – winning twice – before being sidelined last year with a neck injury that ultimately ended his CFL career. On Sunday, the 35-year-old from Riverview, New Brunswick, will be on the field as the Bombers’ special teams coordinator when they meet the Toronto Argonauts at BC Place Stadium.

“It’s definitely different,” Miller said at the press briefing in Winnipeg on Wednesday. “It’s more work… as a player, the adjustment is being on time for meetings, watching film by yourself.

“Things (now) are more daunting, it’s a commitment but if you love it, it’s not really work at the end of the day. It’s what you have to do, so if those are the extra hours you have to put in, you do it.”

Miller, who stands six feet tall and weighs 215 pounds, was a special teams dynamo for 11 seasons in the CFL with Edmonton (2011-16) and Winnipeg (2017-23). But he didn’t play all of last season after suffering a neck injury during training camp.

And although Miller worked with the team’s specialists in a non-playing role, his intention was to return to the football field.

“I was really focused on my health…I was trying to make a comeback,” he said. “I was trying to find every avenue possible (to play), but it just wasn’t in the cards.”

And neither did the coach until Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea offered Miller the role on special teams. Even though Miller wasn’t initially ready to stop playing, the opportunity to stay in the game as a coach was too good to pass up.

In January, Miller retired as a three-time Gray Cup winner (2015 with Edmonton, 2019 and 2021 with Winnipeg) and the CFL’s all-time leader in special teams tackles (226) to join the ranks of coaches.

“Last year was kind of a whirlwind, it was definitely different,” Miller said. “I didn’t aspire to coach as a player because I never really thought about it.

“Then when that happened, I thought staying in the game would be great and I enjoyed it. I’m glad I got that opportunity.”

Miller had a general idea of ​​what he was getting into. Well, sort of.

“Being in the league as long as I was, you watched the coaches and you knew how many hours they put in,” Miller said. “You hear the stories of coaches sleeping in their office and putting in those hours, so I get it.

“But it’s completely different when you’re there.”

Miller said his transition to coaching was made easier by O’Shea, himself a former CFL player and special teams coordinator. Offensive coordinator Buck Pierce, defensive coordinator Jordan Younger, defensive assistant coach Richie Hall and defensive line coach Darrell Patterson are also all former CFL players.

“I think our league does a great job of providing opportunities for players who have worked in various positions to become coaches,” said Bombers general manager Kyle Walters, also a former CFL player. “It’s an interesting transition.

“Special teams is largely about attitude and wanting to be on the field. Mike can teach technique and will teach schemes and will do well, but I think the biggest point of his success is who he is as a person and having guys who I want to succeed for Mike.”

Miller said one of the hardest parts of his job is expressing himself.

“It’s something I’m still learning and adjusting to,” Miller said. “All I can really do is speak from experience, so I try to convey that as best I can.

“As a player, I always felt like I wasn’t necessarily a vocal guy, but I tried to lead by example, so I try to take on those traits that I used to do in silence and to verbalize them.”

Winnipeg is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the Gray Cup and is aiming for a third victory. For many, a win on Sunday would punctuate the franchise’s dominance, but Miller said that’s not the main reason the Bombers want to hoist the sacred trophy again.

“I don’t think we’re looking for contributions from anyone,” he said. “I think it’s important for the guys who have worked with each other and worked all season.

“I think that’s why it’s so important.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 13, 2024.