Alex Khvatov:  What is your height, weight and 40 time?

Tad Miller:  I am 6’4”, 305, and last time I ran a 5.49. 

Alex Khvatov:  What schools showed interest in you during the recruiting process?

Tad Miller:  I had University of Idaho, Utah State, Utah, Air Force and Boise State interested in me.  

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you choose Boise State?

Tad Miller:  I just felt that it was the best for me.  It was an opportunity to stay and play in my hometown.  I liked the tradition.  It was a nice school that had awesome coaches.  It is also a growing school.  

Alex Khvatov:  What do you want to do after football? 

Tad Miller:  I majored in Criminal Justice.  I am one class away from graduating.  I would like to do police work.  My dad and my sister are both police officers. 

Alex Khvatov:  You started 50 games over your college career, what do you attribute that type of consistency to?

Tad Miller:  I attribute that to the staff and the strength coaches.  They keep you in great physical shape.  Our coaches were great at teaching us technique.  It is just a lot of hard work.

Alex Khvatov:  How disappointing was it to go down with a knee injury against Hawaii at the end of the season?

Tad Miller:  It was pretty disappointing.  It was the first time that I was taking out of the game.  It was a new territory for me.  It showed me how much I love football.  I have this new fire to get going again.

Alex Khvatov:  How are you preparing for the draft?  

Tad Miller:  I am working out with my teammate, safety Marty Tadman and linebacker Derrick Doggett from Oregon State at the Pro Active facility in Thousand Oaks, CA.  Everything is great at this facility.  You receive a lot of one-on-one attention here.  We are working on speed, strength and flexibility.  I wake up at around six.  I get my rehab done at around 6:30 in the morning.  We are usually on the field at about 8 am till 10 am.  Then we get a break.  Then we are back out there from 2:45 pm to 4:30 pm.  I have also gotten the chance to get to know Marty Tadman better.  I feel like I have a new friend now.

Alex Khvatov:  How is the recovery coming along?

Tad Miller:  It is coming along great.  I am about 90% back.  Working out at this training facility has been awesome for my rehab.  I had my surgery on December 26^th and I started rehabbing my knee soon after that.  It was the 9th of January when I came out to the Thousand Oaks facility and I started to work on my running.

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths on the football field?

Tad Miller:  You know I am a hard worker.  I am pretty smart and I know the system.  I play with a good motor.  I am not afraid to get nasty and push people around.

Alex Khvatov:  What are your weaknesses?

Tad Miller:  I think I need to improve on every aspect of my game.  I need to work on speed, strength, pass blocking and run blocking.  I am always striving for perfection

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Tad Miller:  I root for the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots.  I root for my former Bronco teammates that play for the Packers.  I like the Patriots offensive line because they do their job and they are nasty on the field.

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite player?

Tad Miller:  Logan Mankins from the Patriots is my favorite OL. Alan Faneca from the Steelers is another player that I enjoy watching.  He is the best guard in the NFL.  They do their job and they are nasty when they play.

Alex Khvatov:  What is the highlight of your football career up to this point?

Tad Miller:  I would definitely say winning the Fiesta Bowl.  It was an amazing game.

Alex Khvatov:  Describe how you felt when your team beat Oklahoma in a very thrilling 2007 Fiesta Bowl. 

Tad Miller:  I mean it was pretty amazing.  We were prepared for the game.  We were so comfortable with the gameplan.  We were whooping on them early and then they came back because they are still Oklahoma.  It was great the way we won at the end of the game.  We had the hook and latter play, the Vinny Perretta pass, and then the Statue of Liberty play.  The Bronco nation was in full force at that game.  About 40,000 fans traveled to the game and they were great.     

Alex Khvatov:  How has a small school like Boise State become so dominant in recent years?

Tad Miller:  You know it all comes down to our coaches.  They know how to win.  We keep improving upon our facilities.  The sky is the limit for this program.  It comes down to recruiting and coaching.

Alex Khvatov:  What was it like to play for Coach Hawkins and Coach Petersen?

Tad Miller:  They are great motivators.  Coach Hawk knew how to motivate the players.  Everyone thinks that Coach Pete is a really quiet guy because of the way he deals with the media.  He knows how to lead the team.  He is a players’ coach.  You can always turn to him for help and he will be able to guide you into the future.

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me about your line teammate Ryan Clady.

Tad Miller:  Ahh, I have a lot of things to say about him.  He is a humble person.  We got along really well.  It was a lot of fun playing with him.  Off-the-field, he is a nice and easy-going guy.  On the field, he is a great player.  He is a freak of an athlete.  He has every tool to be dominant at the next level.  I don’t think that he has any weaknesses.  He has an amazing work ethic.  The sky is the limit for that guy.

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me about your former teammate RB Ian Johnson.

Tad Miller:  He is a hard-working guy.  Time wasn’t right for him to come out this year.  He made the right choice by coming back and he should have another great year. 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the toughest player that you have faced during your career?

Tad Miller:  Ahh, I would have to say DT Montavious Stanley from Louisville.  I played against him in the Liberty Bowl.  He was a strong player.  Both defensive tackles from Oklahoma last year were good.  Garrett McIntyre from Fresno State had a high motor.  I have gone against a lot of good players. 

Alex Khvatov:  Which underclassman on your team should we keep an eye on in the future?

Tad Miller:  I would have to go with OT Nate Potter and RB Doug Martin.  Doug Martin should be the next Ian Johnson.  He redshirted last year.  Boise State has pretty good depth at RB next year.  Nate Potter should start at LT in place of Ryan Clady.  He was a redshirt freshman last year.  He definitely has the size to be in the NFL one day.

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about playing football?

Tad Miller:  I just enjoy the competition.  When you play on the offensive line, it is a battle within a battle.  It is just who gets the job done.  I enjoyed playing the game and having fun with the guys.  I also enjoyed the whole college gameday experience. 

Alex Khvatov:  What are you going to have to do to make an NFL roster?

Tad Miller:  I think that I would need to play with an attitude.  I will do whatever the team wants from me.  I will do whatever it takes.  I am going to play with a nasty streak.  I think that I am pretty comfortable playing in a zone-blocking scheme because that is the system that I played in at Boise St.  But I will play in any scheme and for whatever team that wants me.

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies?

Tad Miller:  I like to go fishing.  Boise has great fishing spots.  I love to spend time with my fiancée, Gloria.  I love to hang out with my friends and family.  They are important aspects of my life. 

Alex Khvatov:  Finish the sentence, Tad Miller is…..

Tad Miller:  You know on the field, I am a hard worker.  I play with a nasty streak.  I try to be a student of the game.  I watch a lot of game tapes.  I listen to the coaches.  Of-the-field, I am easy going and pretty quiet.  I am just enjoying the simple things in life.