Post by Guvmintcheeze on Aug 3, 2015 15:46:34 GMT
Broncos' Von Miller: 'I want to be everything I can be'
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The way Chris Harris Jr. sees it, the pain and suffering were the difference in Von Miller, they pushed Miller to be more and to not waste time or chances.
Harris has seen Miller's day-to-day quest to return to the field -- to be not only the player he was, but something different, something that many with the Denver Broncos believe he will be in the coming football season.
"It sounds crazy now, when you look at it, but we both got hurt [in 2013], we both tore our ACLs within a few weeks of each other," Harris said. "So, we spent every day, hours and hours together, trying to get back, pushing each other, trying to get back to where we were, maybe get better. I mean, that's a bad, bad thing to happen, but it really helped us take that next leap on the field and off the field. Ever since he tore that ACL, and came back from that rehab, he's been a totally different person in the building."
Two years ago Miller was the guy suspended for six games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He had also missed a court date that came from some traffic citations, and he looked to be a supremely talented player on the brink of being yet another casualty of unmet potential. Now, Miller has emerged from two years' worth of clean tests in the league's drug program and is poised for big things in the team's new defense. It fits him, he fits it.
The Broncos expect him to be one of the league's best, he expects himself to be one of the league's best. He's been exuberant on the field, tireless in his work, focused in his approach. In short, he's a long way from the summer of '13.
"I can go out there and be me," Miller said. "I just really want to be here, I really want to be in training camp. I really want to be around the guys. I think I always feel that way, but this year it really seems more. I really want to be here, I really want to be great, I really want to inspire guys, I really want to get the young guys going. I want to be everything I can be."
"He didn't really have that discipline before," Harris said. "Now, he wants to be great, you can see that. You have a guy that talented and he wants to be great and he's working that hard, it's hard to stop him."
And there may be nothing that shows the distance Miller has covered with the people around him more than the fact that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak asked Miller to speak to the team's rookies just after the draft. By several accounts, including from Miller himself, he stood in front of the group and didn't hold back.
"Hey, I kept it real," Miller said. "I've been in every situation imaginable with the team. I've been the man, I've been the guy working his way up, I've been the guy trying to earn people's trust back, I've been the guy who messed up.
"You know, sometimes kids come out of college they get so caught up in football is just the next thing to do," Miller added. "But if you're really not into it, if you're not coming out here to be great, there's no point in doing it, you're wasting your time. That's 10 years of your life you're throwing down the drain being mediocre. I know, because I was kind of there."
For his part Kubiak said, "I'm really proud of him. He grew up … [he] had a couple things going on that he had to grow through, and now I sit here and watch him and he's a leader every day on the field and off the field. He is a great player. I'm just very proud of him … . He's earned that respect."
Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has promised to set Miller loose to chase opposing quarterbacks. Earlier this offseason, when Phillips was asked about Miller's role in the defense, he said "I think we're going to let him rush."
If the league does see Miller at his best, the Broncos will have a decision to make as he will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Last month Kansas City Chiefs' outside linebacker Justin Houston, who led the league in sacks last season with 22, signed a $101 million deal and set the market for the league's elite edge players.
"All those things are for later," Miller said. "I keep my vision in the day-to-day, do my best every day. The difference between this year and every other year is I'm in a great place physically, emotionally. I was in a great place last year, but this year physically I feel even more ready to go. It just feels a little different this year and I want it to stay that way."
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The way Chris Harris Jr. sees it, the pain and suffering were the difference in Von Miller, they pushed Miller to be more and to not waste time or chances.
Harris has seen Miller's day-to-day quest to return to the field -- to be not only the player he was, but something different, something that many with the Denver Broncos believe he will be in the coming football season.
"It sounds crazy now, when you look at it, but we both got hurt [in 2013], we both tore our ACLs within a few weeks of each other," Harris said. "So, we spent every day, hours and hours together, trying to get back, pushing each other, trying to get back to where we were, maybe get better. I mean, that's a bad, bad thing to happen, but it really helped us take that next leap on the field and off the field. Ever since he tore that ACL, and came back from that rehab, he's been a totally different person in the building."
Two years ago Miller was the guy suspended for six games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He had also missed a court date that came from some traffic citations, and he looked to be a supremely talented player on the brink of being yet another casualty of unmet potential. Now, Miller has emerged from two years' worth of clean tests in the league's drug program and is poised for big things in the team's new defense. It fits him, he fits it.
The Broncos expect him to be one of the league's best, he expects himself to be one of the league's best. He's been exuberant on the field, tireless in his work, focused in his approach. In short, he's a long way from the summer of '13.
"I can go out there and be me," Miller said. "I just really want to be here, I really want to be in training camp. I really want to be around the guys. I think I always feel that way, but this year it really seems more. I really want to be here, I really want to be great, I really want to inspire guys, I really want to get the young guys going. I want to be everything I can be."
"He didn't really have that discipline before," Harris said. "Now, he wants to be great, you can see that. You have a guy that talented and he wants to be great and he's working that hard, it's hard to stop him."
And there may be nothing that shows the distance Miller has covered with the people around him more than the fact that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak asked Miller to speak to the team's rookies just after the draft. By several accounts, including from Miller himself, he stood in front of the group and didn't hold back.
"Hey, I kept it real," Miller said. "I've been in every situation imaginable with the team. I've been the man, I've been the guy working his way up, I've been the guy trying to earn people's trust back, I've been the guy who messed up.
"You know, sometimes kids come out of college they get so caught up in football is just the next thing to do," Miller added. "But if you're really not into it, if you're not coming out here to be great, there's no point in doing it, you're wasting your time. That's 10 years of your life you're throwing down the drain being mediocre. I know, because I was kind of there."
For his part Kubiak said, "I'm really proud of him. He grew up … [he] had a couple things going on that he had to grow through, and now I sit here and watch him and he's a leader every day on the field and off the field. He is a great player. I'm just very proud of him … . He's earned that respect."
Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has promised to set Miller loose to chase opposing quarterbacks. Earlier this offseason, when Phillips was asked about Miller's role in the defense, he said "I think we're going to let him rush."
If the league does see Miller at his best, the Broncos will have a decision to make as he will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Last month Kansas City Chiefs' outside linebacker Justin Houston, who led the league in sacks last season with 22, signed a $101 million deal and set the market for the league's elite edge players.
"All those things are for later," Miller said. "I keep my vision in the day-to-day, do my best every day. The difference between this year and every other year is I'm in a great place physically, emotionally. I was in a great place last year, but this year physically I feel even more ready to go. It just feels a little different this year and I want it to stay that way."