When Von Miller first joined the Broncos following the 2011 NFL Draft, he said he wanted to play Robin to Elvis Dumervil’s Batman.
The Broncos’ outside pass rushers took down their share of bad guys last year in the form of opposing quarterbacks, combining for 21 sacks on the season.
Despite tying for third in the AFC with 11.5 quarterback takedowns in 2011, Miller knows he has plenty of room to improve going into his sophomore season.
“I’m not a rookie anymore,” Miller said. “I want to start to play like a vet. I just want to be in the spots that my teammates expect me to be in for crunch-time situations.”
One vet he hopes to emulate would be his quarterback-fighting partner, Dumervil.
Their solid off-the-field relationship has translated into havoc in the opposing backfield.
“I know Von on and off the field,” Dumervil said. “He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous person. He’s like a younger brother to me.”
While they both have the same goals in mind – doing whatever they can to help the Broncos earn a win – it doesn’t mean they aren’t competitive when it comes to getting to the quarterback first.
It was a close race several times in 2011 as the pair split sacks in three consecutive games in Denver’s wins at Oakland, at Kansas City and vs. the New York Jets.
“We spend a lot of time together and with his competitive nature and my competitive nature, it really makes us both better,” Miller said.
“We’re very competitive in everything we do—cards or whatever,” Dumervil added. “He comes by the house and we’re close.”
Neither one hesitates to point out something that the other can improve on. That’s a new thing for both players, who until last season were always the clear-cut top pass rusher on their defense.
“I surely don’t like when he’s getting on me and correcting me and doing stuff, but in turn, I’m going to do the same thing,” Miller said. “I don’t think he’s ever had that and I’ve never had a guy that’s going to come in and tell me what I’m doing wrong. You can’t really get upset when Elvis is telling me I’m doing something wrong. In turn, I know he’s going to do it to me, so I do it to him. It’s definitely a brotherhood and something that I’ve never had before. I’m looking forward to seeing where it’ll go.”
Since they get along so well off the field, it makes it easier for one to approach the other with some advice.
“That’s the thing about it—we’re both humble people, so we have respect for each other, but at the same time, we’re going to push one another,” Dumervil said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
With the two feeding off one another’s success, opposing quarterbacks ought to beware what the Broncos’ superhero pass rushers have in store for 2012.
But according to Dumervil, it’s the entire defense that opponents should worry about, not just the two outside pass rushers.
“As far as nicknames, we still understand we need the players on our defense and that it’s not all about us,” Dumervil said. “We just do whatever we have to as a team to try to get better.”
-Stuart Zaas
Tags: Elvis Dumervil, Von Miller
PUM PUM PUM
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!
VON DOOM Alive and well!!! We are lucky to have these guys! Now just fill that hole at DT and we have a very solid defense in the making… Not Championship Calibre, but one that people will not take lightly this upcoming season!!!
One Love in Broncos Country!!!
Ya well I’m hoping wolfe fills that hole in our d line. It hurt losing bunkley but we would’ve had to over pay him & i for one am glad we didn’t. Of course if bunkley tears up the league in new orleans that opinion could change. I cant wait to see what wolfe brings. He could be a huge boost in production for von & doom if he pans out well. And If he’s elite? Watch out league we could be for real on d….
thats hilarious who there sacking in that pic.
Dana nananananana dana nanananannana Bat Man!
Even though Caleb is now a Bronco I doubt He makes the squad, but it is kinda funny.
I don’t think The Broncos will have much trouble filling the gaps at NT, did anyone see Vickerson added 50lbs of muscle and dropped His body fat percentage? How is that even possible?
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Caleb Henne looks great in this picture…
turtle………..it’s not necessarily the names on D that makes us championship calibre, but the way they will play together. We don’t really know what we’re going to see out of this D with JDR at the helm. We know they won’t be bad, but I think they also have a chance to be GREAT! I can’t wait to see what type of D shows up next season…………I do hope it’s championship calibre! And also, if our O fires on all cylinders, we won’t need our D to hold a team to under 2 scores every game.
GO BRONCOS!
Wolfe will be a tremendous addition to the Dline getting pressure right up the middle,the missing piece people talk about is the NT position but I’m starting to think that Vickerson,who bulked up to 325 will be the primary NT.Go Broncos!!
we do have to consider that jdr is gonna be leading this defense. fox and jdr will do wonderful things with the players we have. your right kk its the sytem the players are in as well as the players themselves. the draft class from last year will have an offseason of training to go with the experience they got last year. we should see a big improvement from them. and wolfe seems like he will be that penetrator we need. cant know for sure tho until he gets on that nfl field. i never have been a big fan of vickerson but if he bulked up and will be the anchor on the dline, which is more for a 3-4 type but will be important with us too, then i cant wait to see what he can do. vick taking up blockers so wolfe and vondoom can reek havok will be nice to see. we havent had a dominant dline in 10 years it seems. thats been an area of glaring weakness since before the ‘brown-cos’ days. i cannot figure out why in all that time we havent had anything more than a very average dline. its been frustrating because it all starts on the line. our oline has always been so good too. again its been frustrating to watch the dline suck every year so lets see em take off now. D LINE DOMINATION 2012!!!!!!!!!
If and only if: This starting Defensive Line and Linebackers can stay healthy – I predict Broncos to have a top ten defense. Couldn’t quite go top five – but close. The depth in the backfield that no longer feels like we are sunk if Champ is out – is what really gives me hope for this season.
I’m expecting a lot of defensive scoring this season!!!.
VonDoom forever!!!!
Look forward to ACT II of VonDoom…
First DMT, now Decker?!…
http://m.nfl.com/news/09000d5d82968e98/eric-decker-broncos-focus-on-field-without-tim-tebow/
Good morning and good aftenoon to everyone
Im sooo stoked to see how this year plays I believe we have what its takes this year to compete with the big boys and show em what were made of! 
Miami dolphins on hard knocks. How boring is that going to be this year.
IDK social it could be a little interesting better then dallas thats for sure
I dont blame them sndvl. It had to be at least as tough on the players as it was on the bloggers dealing with tebow mania!!
Cast your vote folks, Brock baby Brock!!!
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/44241/poll-will-brock-rock-in-denver
OT, I voted yes, and why not? he’s learning from a future HOF
Im sooo stoked for this year the possibilities are endless! Its a awsome rocking time to be a Broncos fan!!
Good job Vegas, and welcome aboard! I really like Osweiler, he has all the tools, and just needs time to develop, which he’ll get behind Manning. He’s a good kid, with a good attitude, who is also smart – which is often overlooked when drafting players.. I get the feeling that we are finally drafting SMART players, and I’m loving it!
yes indeed OT, and thank u everyone here is really cool and thats rocking XD I believe with enough time he will be good for he is smart, and he got the coachable trait that is good, Tecnically were looking at Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers type a situation except this one will end on a good note LOL!
Brock has got the best opportunity of any QB in the draft this year IMO, not having to start right away, as well as learning from one of the greats, and inheriting a young, intact offense that just went through a few seasons of Peyton boot camp.. I hope he makes the most of it, and learns as much as possible, and everything I’ve read and seen on the kid would lead me to believe he would do just that.
LOL Peytons boot camp XD but yeah I think he will make the most out of it that I know who woudent? if I was a QB in his position learning from a HOF QB, boy Id be taking notes left and right.
New blog.
Can I just say that you are all some of my most favorite people. Reading these comments just gets me so pumped!
And come on, you know that Von and Elvis love our Von Doom! I am serious about trying to get a jersey that has 92 on one side and 58 on the other with Von Doom on the back. We are dang lucky to have these awesome players on our team. Add in Wolfe and I think we’re going to be very dangerous!
Nick name for the defensive front, “Wolfe VonDoom”.
Wolfe was on my draft board, but doesnt get very much respect….thats ok, people will find out about him real soooon. He has a real Nasty attitude with a non stop motor……Wolfe! Wolfe! Wolfe!
These guys are going to go crazy this year!!! Really lookin’ forward to it.