Bills Legend Bruce Smith Issues Major Warning to Von Miller

Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller is rather bullish on his return from a torn ACL, but one team legend has a word of warning for the All-Pro — slow it down.

Miller suffered a torn ACL in the team’s Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions, an injury that often takes up to a year to fully heal. But Miller believes he will have a more abbreviated recovery, predicting that he could be ready for the season opener in September.

Bruce Smith, the Hall of Famer who holds the Bills’ franchise record in sacks, believes Miller would be better served taking a slow approach.

“That’s the key: Get back healthy,” Smith told the Buffalo News. “You can’t perform at a high level unless you’re healthy. As you get older, staying healthy becomes more and more of a challenge.”

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Words of Wisdom From Bruce Smith

Smith had a hallmark career, playing 15 seasons for the Bills and then another four with the Washington Redskins before retiring in 2003 at the age of 40. Smith had a strong end to his career, registering 29 sacks through the final four seasons of his career.

Smith noted that at Miller’s age, he needs to be especially careful with his body and not rush himself back into action.

“First and foremost, ‘Father Time’ is undefeated,” Smith said. “Secondly, I’m sure Von’s mindset is to work extremely hard and diligently. He’s already a student of the game and will make sure he gets back to 100%. Unfortunately, the body thinks differently sometimes with age.”

While he may have some words of warning about Miller’s timeline in getting back on the field, Smith shared no concerns that the injury would detract from his All-Pro abilities.

“He can certainly play at a high level,” Smith said. “I’m excited about him getting back on the field. I’m excited about him having the opportunity once again to show his dominance.”

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Von Miller Trusts Team

While he has shared optimism that he’ll be ready for the team’s season-opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, Miller stressed that he trusts the team doctors and their guidance for his rehab.

“I trust our GM, I trust our athletic trainers, I trust our team, our owners. Whenever it’s time for me to play, I’ll be ready to go,” Miller told 9News in Denver. “I want to be ready [for] Week 1 versus the Jets. Aaron Rodgers, ‘Monday Night Football.’ ”

Miller has been on the same page as the team throughout the process, and this offseason grew close to general manager Brandon Beane as he shadowed him at the combine and NFL Draft. Miller aspires to become a general manager when he retires, and Beane has taken the 34-year-old under his wing.

Miller said he knows it will be difficult to make the move from player to front office, but said he’s ready to put in the work necessary to break into the field.

“To take the next step, I want the people around me to know, like, OK, nothing was given to me. I worked,” Miller said. “I evaluated these players, spent time with coaching, scouting department, spent time with the pro personnel guys … I want to be in that position where I know my s***.”

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