The End of an Era

During the early, formative, years of the Bill Cowher era there was one player who seemed to be the recipient of the coach's wrath more than any other -- punter Josh Miller.  It seemed as though there wasn't a single kick that pleased the former special teams coach, and the coach never hesitated to rip into his young kicker.

No wonder he made a bee line out of town once he had the chance.

Now comes word that Josh Miller's time in New England has come to an end:

"The New England Patriots released 11-year veteran punter Josh Miller yesterday, leaving the team with two punters in camp, neither of whom has appeared in a regular-season NFL game.

The 37-year-old Miller played his first eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before sign ing a free agent contract with the Patriots in March 2004.

His 43.6-yard punting average in 42 regular-season games with New England ranks second in franchise history only to Tom Tupa, who had a 44.7-yard average from 1996 to 1998. Miller's 45.1-yard average in 2005 is the second best single-season mark in team history, behind Tupa's 45.8-yard average in 1997.

In 164 regular-season career games, Miller has a 43.1-yard average and has placed 247 punts inside the 20-yard line with 83 career touchbacks. He has also played in 11 career playoff games, helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl in February 2005."