ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When Von Miller stands in front of his locker at the Denver Broncos’ complex these days, he doesn’t have to lookCorbin Bryant Youth Jersey far to see what’s missing this season.
Or rather who’s missing, because to say there is an opening in the leadership department would be a sizable understatement. Just look at the last two offseasons.
After the 2015 season, Peyton Manning retired, removing one of the strongest leaders to have ever graced an NFL roster. And after the 2016 season, DeMarcus Ware retired, and Ware isn’t that far down the list of top leaders either.
So whether by necessity, timing or the way the football dominoes have fallen, it could be Miller’s time.
“We’re missing one of the greatest leaders in the National Football League, to ever come through the National Football League in DeMarcus Ware, so there’s a little void there,’’ Miller said Tuesday after the team’s first offseason workout. “But I feel like we’ll be able to fill it.’’
Miller is the Broncos’ marquee player. He’s the guy with the $114.5 million contract that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the game.
Miller has been named to five Pro Bowls andTj ward Womens Jersey three first-team All-Pro Teams, and he has won a Super Bowl MVP award. But he has never been elected as a team captain.
Circumstances may demand that he add that to his resume in 2017. In terms of resumes, with Manning’s and Ware’s out of the mix, Miller’s stands out.
Miller is one of the Broncos' strongest voices, a free spirit whose wit and biting tongue find plenty of targets in the locker room every day. But he has not yet been in a role where he helped set the tone of the team.
Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins were on the Broncos' roster when Miller was a rookie, Manning arrived in Miller’s second season, and Ware arrived in his fourth season. And when Ware arrived, Miller simply was trying to resurrect his career as he battled his way back from a six-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and a torn ACL.
Time has marched on, and Miller, about to enter his seventh season, finds himself in a different situation.
“I feel like I’ve always been a leader,’’ Miller said. “I’ve always had great examples of great leadership going all the way back to Tim Tebow and Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey. I’ve always had great examples of great leadership, so I know what it takes and I feel like I’ve always done that.’’
Asked if it was important to him to be acknowledged as a team captain, Miller said, “It’s important for me to win games and win the Super Bowl. You’ve got to go out there and earn the respect from the guys in the locker room. I feel likehttp://www.authenticcowboyssale.com/shop-by-players-mark-sanchez-je... my whole career, I’ve always been kind of like the people’s champ of the locker room. It’s not really going to change. I’m always going to be the people’s champ, but we have a void on our football team with DeMarcus Ware missing. That’s definitely one of my goals, but the No. 1 goal is to win games. That’s why I’m here.’’
However it all shakes out over the next few months, Miller acknowledged, as he did after Manning’s departure, that replacing Ware’s presence in the locker room can’t be done simply by being named a captain. It will take a more concerted http://www.authenticcowboysstore.com/shop-by-players-dak-prescott-j... effort from Miller and others to set the tone.
“That’s tough, that’s just like when Peyton left,’’ Miller said. “You can’t really just fill that void. You’ve got to just modify the team and move on. Other leaders will step up, other players will step up … but [you] can’t really just fill a void like that.''