ATLANTA — Von Miller either refuses to divulge his true feelings, or he is truly the most positive person in sports.
As he sauntered through the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors Show on Saturday night in Atlanta while sporting his silver jacket, buttoned-to-the-neck black shirt and matching black hat, Miller pulled up to the 9News station only to be asked why everybody seems to be picking on him.
He’s the Broncos’ best player. By far. Yet, in three consecutive after-season Broncos’ press conferences, general manager John Elway, new head coach Vic Fangio and new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell all said Miller can be better.
“I like it. I like it,’’ Miller said. “You want a coach and an organization that is committed to me playing better. So I like it.’’
Well, his mom wasn’t crazy about it. Not when Elway failed to dismiss outright the possibility Miller could be traded in a day-after-season press conference.
“Von’s NOT the problem the problem is Elway … ‘’ Gloria Miller said in an Instagram rant in support of her son last month. There was more, but that statement was the gist of how a mom defending her son felt about the possibility her Von could be traded.
“She calmed down a little bit,’’ Miller said with a smile from the red carpet Sunday. “She’ll be all right. You know my mom, she’s a great mom. But when it comes to social media it’s a little bit different … You know I probably would have reacted the same way if it was my son, too. But it’s all good.’’
In just eight seasons, Miller is already tied for 33rd on the NFL’s all-time list with 98.0 sacks – 12.25 per year. He beat his average in 2018 with 14.5 sacks.
He probably doesn’t have to play better to become a Hall of Famer. All he needs is two more Von-like seasons and he’ll probably go in on the first ballot.
Once he gets beyond 120 career sacks, his performance in Super Bowl 50 – the most dominant defensive effort in championship game history – will put Miller over the top.
“It’s about Super Bowls,’’ Miller said. “When you play in the National Football League, that’s the ultimate goal. That’s really the only goal. Once you win it, it’s like an addiction and you want to go back to it. You want to keep it going. We’ve got a team ready to go and hopefully we can make a push.’’
