HOUSTON -- Delighted by the line he was about to deliver, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, with a smile, asked to add something about new Texans running back Lamar Miller.

"When I saw Lamar a little while ago I didn’t immediately recognize him because I’m so used to looking at his back," McNair said to laughter. "That’s all I saw in Miami."

That game was a complete disaster for the Texans, in part because the new Texans running back had the best game of his career. He had 236 total yards between 175 rushing and 61 receiving. He scored touchdowns on a 54-yard pass from Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and an 85-yard run which marked the last score in the first half and put Miami up 41-0. The Texans lost that game 44-26 and lost Arian Foster to a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that ultimately led to his being released last week.

Miller carried the ball only 14 times during that game, which was actually fairly high for his time in Miami. In his four seasons there, he only had 638 carries, which is a total Foster once reached in two years. The Texans' commitment to running the ball is part of what drew Miller to Houston.

"I just wanted a new start," Miller said. "I want to be a featured back. With this organization, I know they get their running backs involved. I just wanted to be a part of it."

With Miller the Texans get speed, something they'd lacked overall on their roster. They're looking for more than that from him.

"The one thing you can’t coach is speed ... and I don’t want to just say that that’s all he offers and all he brings to the table," general manager Rick Smith said. "This guy, he’s a complete running back. ... I just think that he has a skill set that will allow our creative coaches to utilize him in a way that hopefully is a threat to defenses."

Miller will be 25 next month. At that age and with as few carries as he has had so far, he doesn't have the wear and tear some backs entering their fifth NFL seasons have. The Texans can get a good three or four seasons out of Miller, whose contract is for four years and worth $26 million.