When playing for the Broncos, linebacker Von Miller routinely had to fight through two and sometimes three blockers. Now with the Rams, the future Hall Famer is seeing single-team blocking far more often.
“I definitely get more playing here with 99 [Aaron Donald] and 54 [Leonard Floyd] and Greg Gaines,” Miller told PFT by phone after Sunday’s 20-19 win over the Ravens. “I had a great group of guys before, the Denver Broncos, but Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines. There’s nothing like it.”
The presence of so many other great players resulted in Miller, who lined up at left defensive end, needing to get past only tackle Patrick Mekari to get the sack that sealed the victory.
“I was just rushing, and it just came open for me,” Miller said. “Mekari is a great tackle, and they’ve been playing solid all game. I had played him early in the season. I really wanted this one, and just rushed the same way we did all game.”
Miller has played with Donald long enough to get a great feel for what it means to have him for a teammate.
“It’s for real,” Miller said. “It’s not just a look. The wins, the losses, in practice, off the field, he just has this glow about him. That’s why he’s one of the greatest to ever play.”
Miller disagreed with the perception that Donald specifically has stepped up his game after hearing so much about other defensive players, like T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons.
“I’ve been around him, and he doesn’t worry about all that stuff,” Miller said. “He’s fully confident in his game, and the type of ball that he can play. I’m the same way. It’s just refreshing to be around somebody that thinks the same way I do.”
And now the Rams, winners of five in a row, are heading for the playoffs with Donald and Miller, two of the greatest defensive linemen of their generation. Winning in Baltimore despite not playing a great game after winning in Minnesota despite not playing a great game should give the Rams confidence regarding what they can do if they can ever put it all together.
Von Miller is seeing more single-team blocks, and he’s capitalizing originally appeared on Pro Football Talk