Even Sean Payton Thinks Zach Miller Caught It

While it didn't garner the same controversy as Calvin Johnson or Dez Bryant, Chicago Bears fans remain obsessed over the Zach Miller non-touchdown call last season. Everybody has the image burned into their heads by this point. It was the game before the bye weeks. The Bears had won two-straight and had a chance to build some serious momentum if they could find a way to knock off the red-hot Saints down in New Orleans. With just under six minutes left in the third quarter, the Bears were behind 14-3. Mitch Trubisy led them on a drive that got them to the Saints 25-yard line. On first down, he dropped back and lofted a gorgeous pass to Miller towards the corner of the end zone. Battling the defensive back all the way, the tight end seemed to corral the ball with one hand as he went to the ground for what should've been a touchdown.

That play instead became one of the great tragedies of the 2017 season. Not only did Miller horribly injure his knee to the point where it was almost amputated, official review ended up overturning the call on the field. Replays showed every conceivable angle and there was no definitive evidence that Miller lost control of the ball. Yet that was the call. Chicago ended up losing 20-12. They never seemed to recover from that.

Sean Payton admits Zach Miller deserved a touchdown

One would think the man least likely to over an honest opinion of that play would be the coach of the opposing team. Yet Sean Payton has always had a reputation for being a straight shooter. Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast, he openly admitted that the Miller catch looked like a touchdown to him.

"It was a touchdown. And it was terrible, the injury he had. He spent the better part of a week here. ... It was crazy."

No room for speculation there. Payton made it clear. However, more than anything he felt bad for Miller. The coach visited the tight end in the hospital after the game where he learned the true extent of the injury. One that likely ended his career.

"Listen, he's a great guy. I had never met him until he was in the hospital. So I went in and saw him that next week. We were bringing him some meals. It was real serious with the injury. ... And the non-touchdown. ... He did more than break his leg."

Kudos to Payton for being honest. It's not like anything will change. His team still won the game and went to the playoffs. The least he could do was be upfront about what he saw, which is the same thing everyone else in the stadium and at home saw. All except the officials, of course.