All of the naysayers are furious with Von Miller.
Coming off the worst season of his career, with zero sacks due to a torn ACL, the Bills’ star pass rusher slammed those who think he’s finished.
“My biggest goal is to get back playing my style of football,” Miller said. He told SI.com“When you come back from an injury, you’re judged on your ability on the field when you shouldn’t have played in the first place. I could have easily sat out last season, but I can’t do that to my teammates. I’m getting towards the second half of my career and I didn’t want to sacrifice even a year.”
“But at the same time, I shouldn’t have been there. I feel like people are judging me for it and it makes me a little angry, to be honest.”
Miller, 35, is an all-time sack artist, but in 2023 he looked nothing like the player who will end up in Canton at the end of his career.
He underwent season-ending surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the 2022 season, the first season of his six-year, $120 million contract with Buffalo.
Miller attempted to return from an injury at the start of the season, but began the year on the PUP list and was an unimpressive player on the field.
In 12 unremarkable games, he recorded three total tackles, two solo tackles and three quarterback hits. I can assure you, this isn’t a myth.
By comparison, he played in 11 games in the 2022 season and recorded eight sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
“I feel like people are criticizing me for that and it makes me a little angry, to be honest. I’m getting to play my bong powers, which I haven’t been able to do in a while,” Miller told SI.com. “I just want to play my style of football. I want to get back to talking trash, taking sacks, dancing and playing for my teammates. That’s my mindset going into this season.”
The Bills are coming off another heartbreaking playoff loss to the Chiefs and appear to be a team in transition after losing several veteran players, including Stefon Diggs, Leonard Floyd, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White.
Miller, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Broncos and Rams, is high on the Bills’ chances of winning.
“The team’s No. 1 goal is to bring Buffalo its first Super Bowl. Everybody feels entitled to that and we’re working hard, but the Buffalo Bills fans and the fans of Western New York deserve that,” Miller told the outlet. “They’ve done so much for our community and for our football team. Josh Allen is a great player and a great person. One of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They deserve that and I’m going to do everything in my power to give them that.”
