One week after Colin Kaepernick's choice of headwear became a national narrative, San Francisco 49ers players continue to give offseason love to the Miami Dolphins.
Niners running back Frank Gore has spent the summer with Lamar Miller, the second-year Dolphins back who's penciled in to start this season. The two are working out together at Bommarito Performance Systems in North Miami Beach, and Gore's influence has paid dividends.
"The way Lamar is learning from Frank, it's a beautiful thing,"Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Sean Spence told The Miami Herald on Thursday.
Pete Bommarito runs the training facility where a collection of NFL players gather daily. After training dozens of backs, including Maurice Jones-Drew, Bommarito said of Miller, "He's the fastest running back I've ever seen."
Like Miller, Gore was a star at the University of Miami. Looking back on 20 years of elite Hurricane backs -- Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee and Miller -- Gore acknowledged, "Lamar is probably the fastest. He reminds me of Portis."
By now, Miller is no secret. With Reggie Bush now on the Detroit Lions, Miller's expected to see the majority of carries this season after averaging 4.9 yards on 51 attempts as a rookie. Miller's improved pass-protection skills have generated praise from teammates and make him an every-down player.
For all the talk about the Dolphins' free-agent spending spree, it's Miller who's shaping up as the young star of this rebuilt offense.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
