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The Denver Broncos’ all-time sack leader, Von Miller, usually has plenty to say but it’s fair to say he took it up a few levels after the Broncos’ third straight loss.
Miller, often so jovial, had an edge to him during his October 19 press conference at the team’s Englewood, Colorado headquarters.
Make no mistake, these were fighting words, with the 32-year-old vowing to metaphorically “kill” his opposition come Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns.
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No Mercy From Miller
“I don’t know who the tackle is that I’m going against, but I’m going to kill him,” Miller told reporters with a laugh. “I’m going to kill him and the other guy on the other side. I’m going to play extremely well. I’m going to make plays for my team. I’m going to set us up to win this game.”
Miller referred to himself more than normal, almost constantly, thriving in the responsibility of putting this team on his back. Perhaps internally, not that he would ever admit it, the eight-time All-Pro believes he needs to go above and beyond his lofty standards in order to give the Broncos any postseason hope.
“It’s on me,” he said. “I have played in all types of games, and I have performed well in all types of games. I have to play well in this game. I will play well in this game.
“I’m going to go off. It’s going to be a good game for me. I don’t want to guarantee a win for my teammates, but I don’t want to put the pressure on those guys. I want to put the pressure on me.
“I’m going to have a great game. I’m going to go out there and play well and get a couple of sacks. If I can do that, then we will win. If you look at this season, in the first three games, I had a couple sacks, and we won those games. These last three games, I didn’t do as much. If I can play well, get sacks and find a way to disrupt the game, we’ll win. The pressure is on me to play well.”
It certainly is now. Try as he might, Miller cannot take all the responsibility, he will need help from his teammates. The former Aggie’s bold proclamations about his Broncos team are occasionally followed by an eye-roll from fans and become harder to believe when Denver struggles.
In keeping with the theme of the day, Miller switched it up and opted for a more individualized approach.
“When Thursday night comes around, I want to put it on me. I wanted to put the pressure on me. If it’s all on me, then I can control that. I can control it. I can handle it, and I can make s*** happen like that. It’s football. You’ve got so many different moving parts.
“I put the pressure on our guys multiple times this season. I just want to try something a little bit different. I want to put the pressure on me. I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to play well—kill whatever guy I’m going against. I think that’ll lead to a victory for us.”
Second Time Lucky?
The last time Miller made such a publicly bold promise he destroyed the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, metamorphosing into a one-man wrecking ball as the Broncos won 45-10.
Denver can only hope for similar play from No.58 and his colleagues in Week 7, as his club looks to get back above .500 and climb out of the AFC West basement. Miller made a fool of the Cardinals, and if he can add the Browns to his list, Denver will have plenty of life left in their 2021 NFL season.
Follow Patrick Djordjevic on Twitter: @Patdjordjevic
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