How Bills DE Von Miller plans to overcome doubters: 'It's making me angry'

Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller recently spoke about his mindset coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Public opinion regarding particular people or topics ebbs and flows, with perhaps no football player in recent memory being a more pertinent example of this idea than Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame shoo-in was, just a few years ago, one of the most celebrated and marketed figures in professional football, a quick icon in Western New York after he inked a six-year, $120 million deal with the Bills in the 2022 offseason. Some initially questioned the long-term feasibility of the contract—signing a player entering his age-33 season is, admittedly, bold—but Miller quickly silenced doubters, notching eight sacks throughout his first 10 games in a Buffalo uniform.

The NFL’s active-all-time sack leader was bringing his unique form of dominance to the City of Good Neighbors, his signing, at least initially, paying obvious dividends.

And then Ford Field happened.

Nov 24, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) is carted off the field during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Miller tore his ACL in a Week 11 contest with the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL season, putting a premature end to a campaign that was shaping up to be yet another productive one for the veteran pass-rusher. He rehabbed intensely, optimistically suggesting at several points throughout the final weeks of the 2022 season that he hoped to return before ultimately returning in Week 5 of the 2023 season, less than 11 months after suffering the initial injury.

He did not look like the Miller of old, however, notching a career-low 17 total quarterback pressures throughout the season, per PFF, alongside just three total tackles and zero sacks. It was his worst campaign as a professional, something that has Buffalo and national football fans alike questioning whether there’s still tread on the tire.

Miller is eager to prove his doubters wrong. He recently sat down with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Benson to discuss his goals for the upcoming campaign, telling the writer that he likely shouldn’t have even been on the field last season.

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"My biggest individual goal is just getting back to playing my style of football,” Miller said. “It's crazy how you get injured, and you come back, and you really shouldn't have even been playing, and people judge you by a product on the field. I could have easily sat out all of last season, but I couldn't do my teammates like that. I felt like being later in my career, I didn't want to sacrifice any of my years. But at the same time, I shouldn't have been out there.”

Demonstrably one of the most dominant pass-rushers in NFL history (he currently ranks 19th all-time in career sacks with 123.5), Miller feels slighted by the fact that people are doubting his ability, something that he’s using as motivation ahead of the new campaign.

“I feel like people are judging me on that, so it's making me a little bit angry, to be honest,” Miller said. “It's making me tap into a Von that I haven't been in a while. I just want to get back to playing my style of football. Get back to talking s***, f****** making sacks, dancing, and making plays for my teammates. That's been my whole mindset this offseason.”

Bills Von Miller is introduced before the start of the Bills divisional game against Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 21, 2024. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat

The mindset Miller mentions is something that Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has noticed, recently stating that he can tell that the pass-rusher has “something to prove.” Though fueled by individual goals and aspirations, Miller’s primary motive is bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Western New York—a goal that inspired him to sign with the Bills in the first place.

“The biggest team goal is bringing the first Super Bowl to Buffalo,” Miller said. “Everyone feels like they deserve it, and they work hard, but Buffalo Bills fans and Western New York they deserve it, man. They do so much for our community and our football team. Josh Allen is an amazing player and person - he is one of the most amazing people that I have ever been around in my life. These guys deserve it, and I'm going to do everything in my power to give it to them."

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