VON THE BRINK
Miller eager to help Tams earn 'life-changing' Super Bowl 'W'
IT’S PROBABLY best that Joe Burrow not watch any footage of Super Bowl 50 this week. He should probably avoid speaking to Cam Newton as well.
The Bengals quarterback, when he plays in Super Bowl 56 Sunday in LA, will
staring across the line of scrimmage at a Rams defensive
front that’s perhaps the most fearsome group in the league, led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller.
When he last played in a Super Bowl, Miller was a monster.
Playing for the Broncos then, Miller ruined Newton and the Panthers that February night six years ago in Santa Clara, Calif., seizing the game with his own bare hands shortly after kickoff and never letting go.
Miller sacked Newton 2.5 times in the game, forcing two fumbles, both of which led to Denver touchdowns, and was the runaway MVP of that Super Bowl, becoming one of only 10 defensive players ever to win that honor.
He looked utterly invincible in that game, making a name for himself as a biggame player.
“I always used to talk about Super Bowl 50, and I remember [saying] I don’t want Super Bowl 50 to be the highlight of my career,” Miller said this past week. “I’m hoping that Super Bowl 56 will be the highlight of my career. This is the biggest game of my life, and I want to go out there and I want to play in that way.”
Since the Rams’ win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game last Sunday, he’s been imparting his Super Bowl wisdom to the Rams teammates he joined in November when LA traded for him.
“I tell everybody, we’re one game away from football heaven,” Miller said.
Miller has been to football heaven once. He’s trying to get there again, taking his new teammates with him.
“After you win a Super Bowl,’’ Miller said, “it’s lifechanging.’’
One life Miller has changed since his arrival to the Rams is that of Donald. Though it’s difficult to imagine the best defensive player in football actually getting better, that’s exactly what Miller’s presence has done.
As he got to know his new teammate, Miller had a message for Donald.
“Bro, if you start speaking, these guys they are going to play for you, they’re waiting to play for you, they’re waiting to put their neck on the line,’’ Miller told him.
“I always consider myself a leader, but more of a leadby-example guy,” Donald said. “One thing Von’s been challenging me on a lot more with, just him talking to me, is being more vocal. Talking to guys, letting them hear my voice.”
Miller, 32, is in his 11th NFL season. He’s been to Pro Bowls, has all the personal accolades and a Super Bowl ring. Much of his motivation now is to get his veteran teammates such as Donald, left tackle Andrew Whitworth and safety Eric Weddle, who recently came out of retirement when the Rams’ secondary became injury riddled, their first ring.
“Selfishly, I want to be the guy that helped Aaron Donald get a Super Bowl,’’ Miller said. “When he walks across the stage in Canton [at the Hall of Fame] and he says, ‘Man, when Von Miller came to the team things changed,’ that’s what I do it for. So many teammates on my team, this is really all they need. I want to do for them.’’
It’s a powerful force when you combine Miller’s internal and external motivation and add to that his postseason experience.
Miller has played in 10 career playoff games, his teams winning seven, and he has 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 15 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for losses.
“His track record speaks for itself,’’ Rams coach Sean McVay said. “But his work, his résumé, just the way he carries himself, demands respect.”
Miller was 26 when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. That was his fifth consecutive season in the playoffs. “I just thought that was how it was going to be every year,” he said.
Denver hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since, which makes Miller relish this ride with the Rams even more.
When he was traded to the Rams for a second- and a third-round draft pick (plus the Rams assumed $9 million of his remaining $9.7 million 2021 salary), it came as a shock to Miller, who’d planned to retire a Bronco.
When he got to LA, Miller was dealing with an ankle injury and didn’t have a sack in his first four games. He has nine sacks in his last 10 games, including two this postseason.
Was it worth it?
If you do the math, it answers the question.