Von Miller said before the Super Bowl that he wanted to be the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. He made quite the case for that request on the biggest possible stage, taking home Super Bowl MVP honors with one of the best defensive performances in recent Super Bowl memory. John Elway will need to get his accountants to work fast, as Miller is a free agent (who can be franchised) heading into the offseason.

Miller was simply outstanding on the game’s biggest stage, forcing two fumbles of league MVP Cam Newton. The first went for a Denver touchdown recovered by Malik Jackson. The second set up the nail-in-the coffin touchdown, a two-yard run by C.J. Anderson.

Carolina had no match for Miller, at times being forced to triple-team the linebacker, which created opportunities for other defenders to make plays as well. In total, the defense hit Newton 13 times, by far the highest total of the season. Mike Remmers, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012 before being cut, was simply no match for Miller on his own.

Postgame Miller was jovial and humble in his MVP speech, giving much credit to his teammates and the organization for believing in him and sticking by him. Miller was just cleared from the NFL’s drug program this year after violations put him one strike away from being out of the league. Much of the credit for that turnaround can go to DeMarcus Ware, the veteran linebacker who joined the Broncos last season and has been a phenomenal mentor to Miller.

As one of the MHS team, Les Shapiro, observed, “That’s a nice comeback story, huh? Von Miller. His career, his life could’ve gone one of two ways. He chose the right way. Happy for him.”

Here’s how the rest of the MHS team, the Denver media and some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment tracked Miller’s MVP-worthy performance as it unfolded…

https://twitter.com/davidlukeramsey/status/696486024134823937

https://twitter.com/TheCauldron/status/696530794760818691

https://twitter.com/ChaseVaughn/status/696539238091739136