Von Miller





Early Years
Miller was born in Dallas, Texas to parents Von and Gloria Miller. He attended DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas, where in his junior year he recorded 37 tackles, 7 sacks, 14 tackles for loss (TFL) and 12 quarterback hurries. As a senior, he was named the District 8-5A Defensive MVP after making 76 tackles, 6 sacks, and 14 TFL.[1] He played with future Aggie teammate Cyrus Gray.[2] Rivals.com rated Miller as the 29th-best prospect in Texas and the 15th-best weakside linebacker in the nation. Rivals.com listed his weight as 210 pounds.[3]

College
Miller attended Texas A&M University, where he played for the Texas A&M Aggies football team from 2007 to 2010. As a freshman at defensive end in 2007, he was named Freshman All-Big 12 by The Sporting News after posting 22 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He recorded two sacks, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He played in a 4-2-5 defense. He weighed 220 pounds during his freshman year. In the spring of 2008, newly hired head coach Mike Sherman was discouraged by Miller's habits of skipping class and failing to produce during practice. Sherman decided to suspend Miller for that spring. Disappointed, Miller considered transferring, but upon his father's insistence, stayed. Miller then adopted a more serious attitude.[4] As a sophomore in 2008, Miller played at weakside linebacker under Joe Kines' 4–3 defense. He saw action in all 12 games, making 44 tackles, including 25 solo stops, and leading the team with 3.5 sacks. He made 7.5 tackles for loss, forced a pair of fumbles, and recovered two more. His role was more confined to pass coverage, as opposed to rushing the quarterback, thus he wasn't able to showcase his pass-rushing abilities. In the final seven Big 12 games, he compiled just eight tackles.[5] As a junior in 2009, Miller adopted the role of the jack position, a defensive end/linebacker hybrid, which allowed him to utilize his pass rushing abilities. He enjoyed a breakout season for the Aggies, leading the nation in sacks with 17 and ranking fourth in the nation with 21 tackles for loss.[6] For his efforts, Von Miller was named first team All Big-12 at defensive end and was named a first-team All-American by Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.[7][8] He became the first Aggie to be named a first team All-American since Jason Webster in 1999.[9] Then-Aggies defensive coordinator Joe Kines compared Miller to the late Derrick Thomas.[10] Miller then studied and watched film of Thomas to familiarize himself with his game. In 2010, Miller switched to playing as a 3–4 outside linebacker under Tim DeRuyter's defense. Early in the season, Miller suffered a high ankle sprain, that held him back for the first six games.[6] He posted 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss.[11] Again he made first-team All-Big 12 honors,[12] and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.[13] He was also named a consensus first-team All-American.[14] He received first team All-American honors from Walter Camp, Scout.com, Pro Football Weekly,[15] ESPN.com,[16] and the Associated Press.[17]

Pro Career
===Pre-draft[edit] === Miller, who likely would have been a second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft had he passed on his senior season,[18]  entered the 2011 NFL Draft regarded as one of the best 3–4 outside linebackers available.[19]  He was projected to be a top 5 pick by notable draft evaluators.[20] [21] [22]

At the 2011 Senior Bowl, Miller was the Defensive MVP.[23]

Among linebackers at the 2011 NFL Combine, Miller ranked 2nd in the 40-yard dash, 3rd in the vertical jump, 1st in the broad jump, 3rd in the 20-yard shuttle, T-1st in the 3-cone drill, and 1st in the 60-yard shuttle. His 11.15-second 60-yard shuttle broke the combine linebacker record. At the Texas A&M Pro Day in March 2011, Miller ran a 4.49 40-yard dash.[24] In March 2011, Miller was selected to represent top flight rookies in the NFL Labor Union talks.[27]  He was persuaded by LaDainian Tomlinson to join the lawsuit.[4]

In March 2011, Dave Razzano, a former NFL scout with 20 years of experience, compared Miller to Vernon Gholston. Gholston was drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in 2008, but failed to record a sack in 42 games, and was later released. In regards to Miller, Razzano stated: "In looking at Big-12 tape, he does not have a motor. He doesn't chase hard. They run at him, and he doesn't fight off blockers. When he gets sacks, a lot of times he's not getting blocked. He's a one-move guy."[28]  During the Texas A&M Pro Day, however, one scout compared him to Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, while Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer compared him to Cardinals linebacker Joey Porter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ST309_29-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  NFL Network Analyst Mike Mayock, who rated Miller as the second-best player in the draft, stated that Miller reminds him of a smaller version of DeMarcus Ware.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  Miller's then-personal trainer, Dan Brandenburg, who also worked with first round picks Clay Matthews III and Sean Weatherspoon, stated Miller is the best athlete of all three.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SIapr2011_4-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4] ===Denver Broncos<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Miller was drafted by the Denver Broncos second overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was the highest selected linebacker since LaVar Arrington went No. 2 to the Washington Redskins in 2000. He also become the Aggies' highest draft pick since Quentin Coryatt, who was selected second overall in 1992.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  The selection of Miller surprised certain experts. Denver was switching from a 3-4 defense to a4-3 defense, a defense which seemed counter-intuitive to Miller's strengths. Former Broncos quarterback John Elway, who is also the executive vice president of the franchise, said "[Miller's] a type of guy that comes around every 10 years."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">On July 28, 2011, Miller officially signed with the Denver Broncos. He wears #58 in honor of his favorite football player, late former Chiefsplayer and Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] ====2011 season (rookie)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==== <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">On September 12, 2011, in his first career play from scrimmage, Miller forced a fumble. On September 18, 2011, he had his first sack on Andy Dalton when the Broncos played the Cincinnati Bengals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Miller was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the New York Jets.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Miller was selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  and was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  Overall, in 907 snaps, Von recorded 11.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, and 29 quarterback hurries.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  He was fined three times during his rookie season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39] ====2012 season (2nd season)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==== <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Miller got off to a quick start in his sophomore season, registering 10 sacks in 9 games. In this period, he also recorded 30 quarterback hurries, more than he had during his entire 2011 campaign. Thanks to this tremendous start, Miller was considered an MVP candidate. On November 16, Miller was fined $21,000 for a hit on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in Week 10.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  He received his second career AFC Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording three sacks and two forced fumbles against the San Diego Chargers the following week.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  For his efforts during the month of November, Miller was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Month. On December 26 2012, Miller was announced the starting Outside Linebacker in the AFC division for the 2013 Pro Bowl.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Miller finished the season third in sacks with eighteen and a half, breaking a Denver Broncos record of seventeen previously held by Elvis Dumervil. He also capped off the 2012 season finishing second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">In 2012, Von teamed up with Ubisoft, makers of the video game, The Hip Hop Dance Experience, to create his very own sack celebration dance called "The DeSoto Shuffle" that was inspired by the video game. Each time Von performed the dance during a game, Ubisoft made a charitable donation to Von's Vision, a foundation devoted to providing eye care and glasses to underprivileged youth. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43] ====2013 season (3rd season)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==== <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Prior to the 2013 season, the NFL Network listed Miller as the 9th-ranked player in its NFL: The Top 100 Players of 2013 program.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44] ==References<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">


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 * 2) ^http://www.maxpreps.com/news/vJsLgnF7EeCkhgAcxJSkrA/von-miller-cherishes-dallas-roots-heading-into-nfl-draft.htm
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 * 4) ^ <sup style="line-height:1em;">a <sup style="line-height:1em;">b <sup style="line-height:1em;">c <sup style="line-height:1em;">d  "Locked Out And Loaded". CNN. 2011-04-18.
 * 5) ^  "Miller's return to Texas A&M: the right decision". Fox Sports Southwest. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
 * 6) ^ <sup style="line-height:1em;">a <sup style="line-height:1em;">b  Lande, Russ (2010-12-15). "Draft Dish: Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick moving up draft boards". Sporting News. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
 * 7) ^  "2009 Sporting News college football All-America first team".
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 * 14) ^  "College Football's 2010 Consensus All-Americans". NCAAfootball.fanhouse.com. 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
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 * 16) ^  "ESPN.com's 2010 All-American Team". ESPN. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
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 * 30) ^  "news: Defensive players lead the way on list of top 32 prospects". NFL.com. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
 * 31) ^  Zwerneman, Brent (March 2, 2011). "Hurdling serves Miller well: Star survives many pitfalls by clearing obstacles".Houston Chronicle.
 * 32) ^ http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/40289/john-elway-suddenly-likes-no-58
 * 33) ^ http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/31756/rookie-lb-centerpiece-of-elways-broncos
 * 34) ^  "Broncos' McGahee rushes for 101 yards against Bengals".Denver Post. 2011-09-19.
 * 35) ^ http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-11-23/denver-broncos-team-report-team-pleased-with-von-millers-development
 * 36) ^  Jones, Lindsay H. (2011-12-27). "Broncos Bailey, Miller, Dumervil make NFL Pro Bowl roster; Tebow an alternate".Denver Post.
 * 37) ^  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/broncos-lb-von-miller-wins-2011-ap-defensive-rookie-of-year/2012/02/04/gIQADPvDqQ_story.html.  Missing or empty|title= (help)<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height:1em;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;" title=" since April 2012">[dead link]
 * 38) ^ http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/sports/2012-06-16/the-nfl-beat-awards-shower/
 * 39) ^ http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/39017/von-millers-fine-total-rises
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 * 41) ^ http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/21/von-miller-wins-afc-defensive-player-of-the-week-honors/
 * 42) ^ http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/miller-earns-afc-defensive-player-of-the-month/
 * 43) ^ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/20551601/hiphop-experience-mercifully-helping-von-miller-reinvent-his-sack-dance
 * 44) ^  "The Top 100 Players of 2013".
 * 45) ^  Mihoces, Gary (2011-04-25). "Draft stud Von Miller is well-suited for labor fight and NFL". USA Today.