NFL: Seattle sign Zach Miller

The Seattle Seahawks' recruitment drive took another big step forward as they beat the Oakland Raiders to sign their former Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller.

The Raiders were desperate to bring 25-year-old free agent Miller back to Oakland, but former Raiders coach Tom Cable seems to have pulled out all the stops as Seattle's new offensive line coach.
Miller has been persuaded to make the move up to the Pacific northwest to join Pete Carroll's Seahawks on a five-year deal to join their raft of new recruits.
During a difficult two seasons for Oakland, especially at quarterback, Miller has been a standout performer with two strong seasons - the last of which being good enough to get him to the Pro Bowl for the first time.
"The Raiders always showed interest," Miller told KHTK-AM. "Throughout the whole process, I always had good communication with coach (Hue) Jackson, and we talked a lot.
"Seattle, about a week ago, I wasn't sure if they would be involved in this process. Coach Cable gave me a call, and that's when it started. It's definitely been a crazy last few days here."
The Seahawks have brought in Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to challenge for a start while his former Vikings team-mate Sidney Rice has come in to be the team's big-name receiving option.
Now they have one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league to add to their armoury and Seattle now seem to have a decent offence to build on.
"I think it's looking really good with the weapons brought in on offense," Miller added. "Obviously, Sidney Rice, Tarvaris Jackson, you have Marshawn Lynch running the football and then me working the middle of the field. It's been really good, I'm really looking forward to it.
"Coach Carroll, I think he develops a great atmosphere. He wins everywhere he goes. I'm really looking forward to getting into football and being a big part of this team."
Cable was delighted to have helped bring Miller to the Seahawks, feeling he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
"That's what people have to realize about him is he's a very complete player," said Cable. "He's going to be able to block off the line of scrimmage, you can move him around. He can do all the crack blocks. He can do the one-on-one matchups in the passing game."
Miller's arrival puts pressure on John Carlson, who has seen a drop-off in his production and is in the final year of his contract, but Carroll insists the two men could both be on the field plenty of times next season.
"Absolutely. It's exactly what is in our minds," Carroll said. "Anyone that thinks otherwise doesn't get it. We think those guys will play in tandem, on opposite sides, we'll be moving them around to matchups and stuff.
"I think it's a great asset for us now, and we've always liked to play with two tight ends in a number of different packages, and this just gives us tremendous flexibility at a really high level."