For the first time in his NFL career, Von Miller won’t be playing in the postseason. The Super Bowl 50 MVP will be on the sidelines after Sunday’s finale against the Raiders, watching guys he knows he’s supposed to be playing. Still, Miller has come to terms with the disappointment of the 2016 season; after all, the 2016 calendar year delivered him his greatest sporting achievement and a lifetime of memories.
Miller spoke with Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro in the Broncos locker room on Thursday, ahead of Denver’s Week 17 matchup with the Oakland Raiders. The Broncos go into the game hoping to spoil Oakland’s chance at winning the division and possibly a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Although Miller has come to terms with the fact that this game is only to play spoiler, he’s still plenty disappointed that there won’t be more games in January.
“It’s frustrating,” Miller said, “especially as a competitor, especially with all of the high hopes, all the standards that we have as an organization from the leadership on down – from the front office to the cooks we have a championship mentality. And to sit back and observe all the championship stuff on TV, it hits you in the stomach know that these are the guys we’re supposed to be playing and we’re not there right now.”
Sunday’s game will end a franchise-record five consecutive years making the postseason and a grueling run for Miller and his teammates, who played with a target on their backs all year as the defending champs. Miller says there’s a silver lining heading into this offseason, time to get healthy, rebuild and refocus.
“I didn’t really feel exhausted and tired until the Chiefs game [in Week 16], until after the game and we were out of the playoffs,” Miller told Goodman and Shapiro, “but when you sit back and think about it, it’s been one long year, and I think as an organization we can use this time to rebuild, refocus and get back at it. We’ve got great leadership from the top down and I know No. 7 [John Elway], he’s going to have a great game plan for us.”
Miller says trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions isn’t just about the physical toll, but that mental sharpness across the organization is critical. He knows the Broncos need to find that mental edge again next season, especially the younger players, and he is taking it upon himself to lead the way.
“It’s just tough in general. But it really just depends on where your mind is at. I really didn’t have a whole lot of time, and I came back and I played lights out. So it’s really just a mindset. You gotta have 53 guys with that same mindset. I think over time, if you’ve got 53 guys one year, the next year it might be 20 [new] guys and it just takes time to groom those guys and develop those guys and install that same mindset that you have in those guys.”
Miller enjoyed a wild offseason after winning the Super Bowl MVP. Countless TV appearances and a record-setting contract were just the beginning. Shapiro wanted to know if this offseason will be “more chill.”
“I’m hoping so,” Miller said. “But one thing that I took back from this offseason is you’ve got to live life. I mean, who knows how many years I’m going to play. If it’s 20 years, that’s still not a long time, so whenever you get moments in life to take advantage of those, I feel like you have to do it. And I feel like as an athlete, as a star athlete, you’ve got to do that type of stuff. You’ve got to be on the TV, set examples for these young guys … put yourself out there for these guys to see you.”
The season will be coming to an end on Sunday, and with it the Broncos’ reign as Super Bowl champs. Soon, Miller’s reign as Super Bowl MVP will be over too. Would he trade it for a playoff appearance this season? Not a chance.
“I’m at peace. You know, 2016’s been good to us all from an organizational standpoint. Now, if you had told us back in January, ‘You’re going to win the Super Bowl, but you’re going to miss the playoffs,’ I think you’d take it … I would take [winning the] Super Bowl over any time.”
Listen to the full interview with Von Miller, including his comments on DeMarcus Ware‘s future, in the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/12-29-16-eric-les-catch-up-with-von-miller-who-is-at-peace-with-2016
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
