Scary moment for Browns lineman Miller

Associated Press

BEREA

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Ryan Miller sustained a concussion during a blocking drill in practice Saturday, an injury that shook his teammates.

Miller, who is in his second season with Cleveland, was carted from the field and taken by ambulance to the Cleveland Clinic after he was hurt during one-on-one drills inside the team’s indoor facility. Coach Rob Chudzinski said the 6-foot-7 Miller’s condition has improved.

“He’s doing well,” Chudzinski said following practice. “He’s responsive and it sounds like things are better at this point.”

The Browns later said Miller has a concussion and was released from the hospital after being treated.

Chudzinski did not see how Miller got hurt, and did not know if the head injury was the result of helmet-to-helmet contact.

Cleveland’s players, wearing shoulder pads for the first time in training camp, were doing blocking drills when Miller wound up on the turf at 4:39 p.m. As medical personnel rushed to aid the motionless Miller, the music inside the field house was turned off and several players took off their helmets and dropped to a knee. After Miller was immobilized and strapped to a backboard, the entire Browns team and coaching staff huddled around the player and prayed.

“Anytime that happens you just pray and just hope for the best and hope everything is OK,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “Coach gave us word that he is fine and that’s a good thing. But those are the challenges and the scares that when you sign up for the game there’s a possibility of something like that happening. I’ll tell you what, it made everyone realize that at any moment anything can happen.”

After the 320-pound Miller was wheeled from the building to be taken to the downtown hospital, the Browns continued their practice, which was moved indoors because of bad weather and closed to the public.

Chudzinski was given an update on Miller’s condition during practice and relayed it to his players, who were relieved to hear Miller had improved.

“It’s always tough to see your fellow linemen or one of your teammates go down like that,” Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said. “It’s hard because obviously there are things more important that football and your health is certainly one of them. Sometimes it’s hard to get back and focused on football when you see a guy laying there and not moving.”

Thomas said Miller got hurt when “two helmets kind of hit in the wrong way, kind of a freak thing.”