Those of you who have followed me for years know how much I admire Von Miller and the way he plays the game. When he broke into the league back in 2011, I said to myself, “we could be seeing someone become an all-time great before our very eyes”. After the Broncos made him the second overall pick in 2011, the impact was apparent right away. He provided them with a true pass rusher on the outside. For his efforts during his rookie season, Von was awarded the Defensive Rookie of the Year finishing his first season with 29 Quarterback hurries, 19 Quarterback hits and 11.5 sacks. After that season, he just continued to get better and better. Unfortunately, one thing that’s become all too familiar with Von is injuries. A few weeks ago against the Detroit Lions, he left the game with an apparent knee injury. I was saying to myself they’ll continue to rest him until closer to the playoffs. Well, I was wrong. Today, it was announced the veteran will miss the remainder of the year after having surgery on a torn ACL.
Even as he’s getting older, he’s still been one of the best in the league and still is considered to be one of the best defensive players around today and each year, he continues to show why he’s one of the very best. There’s so much that stands out about his game and I honestly don’t know where to begin. Von has always had that ability to bend and display his flexibility. That allows him to get lower than any Offensive Tackle attempting to block him which is why he will always win his one-on-one battles. Some of the moves he does at the point of contact still amaze me even after watching him all of those years and that’s because he doesn’t just rely on one thing for him to get by. Von is a “pest” to would be blockers because you just never know what he’s going to do. He’s a ball of energy and plays the game with a swagger that you don’t see from guys these days. I’ve said this years ago and I will repeat myself again, Von Miller has turned pass rushing into an art. It’s his ability to get off the snap of the football, he has those violent hands and he’s always in attack mode. If you don’t put hands on him or knock him off his spot, he will destroy your entire game plan. When he dances, that means he just sacked your Quarterback!
The Buffalo Bills signed him to be that difference maker in the playoffs. Could you blame them? I still look at what he did for the Rams last season, and I truly believe they wouldn’t win that Super Bowl without Von. He provided them with a pass rush so Aaron Donald could focus more on stuffing the run and working the inside. Even this season, you saw Von’s impact amongst this Buffalo defense. Because he was getting home to the passer, everyone else on that front seven felt as if they could also get the Quarterback. I won’t say this completely diminishes the Bills’ season. This is when the next man must step up, but I also understand how tough it is to replace a future Hall of Famer.
