Can Von Miller be even better in 2016?
Here’s the scary fact about Von Miller: He wasn’t that good last season.
He was great — don’t get me wrong — but he wasn’t the best defensive player in football. He wasn’t the player we saw in the postseason.
During the 2015 regular season, Miller was simply really, really good. But for a player who has looked like one of the greatest defenders in NFL history at times, really, really good doesn’t always meet the bar.
With 11 sacks and 35 total tackles, Miller had the worst year (statistically) of his career, discounting the 2013 season where he began the season suspended and finished the season on injured reserve.
Even Miller has admitted on several occasions that he didn’t really begin preparing for specific opponents until the postseason — he’d simply rely on his natural ability — but we saw what it did for him during the Broncos’ three-game playoff run. Extrapolated for a full 16-game season, Playoff Von would have totaled 26.5 sacks and 69 total tackles.
“Miller admits he’s thought about changing his habits and focusing more on football after hours,” Kevin Clark wrote in his profile of Miller. “During the playoffs, he dialed back his internet usage and ignored social media, and he had the run of his life. ‘Maybe this season I should try that every single week,’ he says.”
And what if Miller does just that? Could he take his game to another level and become a full-time Playoff Von?
If he does, he’ll have to make room in his trophy case, because he’ll be stashing a Defensive Player of the Year award right next to his Super Bowl MVP.
