Rushing the passer has never been a problem for linebacker Von Miller.
Coming off an 11.5 sack, Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie, Miller has quickly added five more sacks through the first five games of 2012. But throughout the offseason and the early going this season, Miller has talked about wanting to become a more complete player.
Sunday against New England, Miller’s second two-sack performance of the season was just one aspect of his eye-popping stat line. The 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year finished the game with eight tackles (seven solo), including five behind the line of scrimmage, and added two quarterback hits, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
“I think he answered the bell,” Head Coach John Fox said. “We knew it was going to be tough duty, trotting in there against a good football team at home. I thought he performed pretty well. He was one of our better performers on defense.”
Miller is now the NFL’s leader with 12 tackles for loss through five weeks, evidence that he has become equally dangerous against both the run and the pass. But after the game, he wasn’t interested in reveling in his big afternoon. His only concern was the game’s final score.
“I mean, 31-21? We didn’t do it enough,” Miller said. “We’ll get back in the lab tomorrow and keep on working. I’m confident that we can become the team that we know we can be.”
