Bears' Miller thankful after avoiding 'very real' chance of amputation

Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller is a relieved man after undergoing surgery that saved his left leg.

Miller suffered a horrific leg injury during an Oct. 29 game against the New Orleans Saints when he landed awkwardly after trying to rein in a touchdown catch. The tight end dislocated his knee, damaged an artery, and was rushed to hospital in New Orleans before being transferred to Chicago.

Miller returned home on Nov. 20 and spoke candidly Monday about the possibility of facing amputation.

"It was very real," Miller said via ESPN's Jeff Dickerson. "A couple wrong turns away from actually happening. I had a ton of care, a lot of people helping me out through that entire process. But we were a couple minutes away from having that be real. Thankfully, we were able to avoid it and we didn't really get into where I had stuff that was starting to die off or anything. We were able to save pretty much everything. So I'm very thankful that happened."

Miller said he had an inclination that amputation was a possibility before doctors saved his leg.

"I remember, before I got into the emergency surgery, the last thing I was telling the doctors was, 'Please, save my leg!' Because I knew that something wasn't quite right just in the way my leg was feeling and the way it was filling up. I knew we had issues," Miller said.

Miller admitted he hasn't thought too much about resuming his football career and will make a decision after recovering further from surgery.