Miller delivers high praise for raw rookie: “I just love the way he plays”
Von Miller’s sometimes goofy persona often takes the form of assigning teammate nicknames. Even for those Broncos who already have one.
Back in Iowa, they called rookie Josey Jewell “The Outlaw.” Not Miller.
“You’re talking about Red Beard?” Miller said when asked to evaluate the 6-foot-1, 234-pound inside linebacker with the gingertinted beard beneath a swath of black hair.
“He’s called me that twice now,” Jewell told The Denver Post. “I might have to put a little black color in my beard.”
All light-hearted rookie teasing aside, Jewell has done his best to stand out through his play — a difficult task considering his circumstances. A hamstring injury held Jewell out of the first five days of training camp. He returned Friday for individual drills and seven-onseven work and has since been a full participant the past two practices
Jewell started as a walk-on at Iowa, became the first sophomore team captain in coach Kirk Ferentz’s tenure and finished his career ranked inside the program’s top five for career tackles (437). His Broncos rise, though, appears more fast-tracked.
“(Jewell) is one of my favorite rookies, man,” Miller said. “I just love the way he plays. He may be a rookie, but when you talk to him, it really doesn’t feel like he’s a rookie. When you see him play, it doesn’t look like he’s a rookie.
He’s going to play in this league for a long time. I just like his intensity. I like having conversations with him. He’s going to be great for us.”
Big-time praise from a six-time Pro Bowler.
“That’s crazy he said that,” Jewell said.
Jewell “quarterbacked” Iowa’s defense at middle linebacker. He shifted to the weak side in Denver. That transition retains the communication and leadership skills that made Jewell so effective with the Hawkeyes. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by teammates like inside linebacker Brandon Marshall, who called Jewell “extremely smart.”
“You don’t have to call as much stuff (on the weak side), but you’re still supposed to help out the ‘mike’ (middle) if there are ever any calls,” Jewell said. “You have to really know it all. Early on, I think that helped me out a lot.”
Jewell says he finds time to better understand his assignments at nearly every available moment before and after practice.
“You have to study the playbook if you want to build trust,” he said .
But applying it to scrimmage settings requires patience.
“He was a little anxious to get his first hitting action in the NFL. Of course as a rookie, you would,” Marshall said. “You want to show what you can do, kind of test the waters a little bit. But I thought he did well.”
Jewell said: “I got out there yesterday for a little hitting stuff, and I think I got out of hand a bit trying to make some contact and wanting to get back into it. You can’t go out there and try to kill everybody right away. You’ve got to stay focused on the small details and stay focused on your job.”
Broncos coach Vance Joseph expects Jewell to compete for a prominent role at inside linebacker, pending his rookie learning curve, with the necessity of being a “core guy” on special teams. Jewel admits he’s not at 100 percent full health but believes he’ll get there within the next several days.
“He’s pushing to get playing time in our certain packages,” Joseph said. “I’ve been impressed with him from a mental standpoint. He doesn’t make mistakes, and that’s a nice sign for a young player.”
Jewell doesn’t yet carry enough weight in the Broncos’ locker room to nix a nickname. So, if Red Beard sticks, so be it. But Denver fans can expect a playing style that matches his first moniker.
The Outlaw is ready.