"Not long before the 49ers' memorable season ended, rookie fullback Bruce Miller recalled the forgettable way it began.

On Aug. 12, the Niners visited the Saints in their preseason opener and Miller, a college defensive end who had never played fullback at any level, was completely lost.

His primary problem? The seventh-round pick kept breaking the huddle without knowing the play call.

"I was just so new to offense in general," Miller said. "Especially our play calls, they're pretty wordy and lengthy. So by the time I'd realized what the first part of it was, he'd already said the second part and I'd miss it every time. I was trying to keep up and I would skip over things.""