The Buffalo Bills open their 2022 NFL season Thursday night in Los Angeles as they face the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams. The Bills are the odds-on favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Glendale, Arizona.
But to reach that euphoric height the Bills must first handle the pressure of being the hunted throughout an 18-week regular season and learn what is to be in a high-stakes AFC playoff. This offseason, Buffalo added some reinforcements in an effort to fix some of the weaknesses.
The team’s most glaring weakness the last couple seasons has been its lack of a pass rush without having to bring more defenders. Pretty much, Buffalo hasn’t been winning the battles up front when they just rush their four down lineman.
So what does a team with Super Bowl aspirations do when they can’t rush the passer without overcommitting too many defenders. They add the best pass rusher available on the open market. That happened to be two-time Super Bowl winner and former DPOY Von Miller.
In March, the former Texas A&M Aggie star signed a six-year, $120 million deal with $51.4 million guaranteed to bring his talents to cold Buffalo. Miller will be asked to help mentor young edge rushers Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Boogie Basham. Plus to provide leadership to a pretty young Bills roster.
Miller Discusses Leadership Mentality With Bills
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Miller tapped into that veteran leadership that the Bills wanted when they signed him to that huge deal. Miller explained what it’s like to be the so-called elder statesman on the team.
“I enjoy being here. I enjoy winning. And that’s what it’s all about for me. I’m all about trying to get the most out of my teammates, trying to get them in a positive mindset, trying to uplift everybody and have everybody ready for Thursday or Sunday or whatever it may be.”
Miller continued:
“And guys’ priorities are just different. You got guys playing Call of Duty, and even though I occasionally play video games and stuff, it’s just that the priorities are different for me. I want to win a Super Bowl, and it’s constantly on my mind.”
— Von Miller (@VonMiller) August 10, 2022
Is Miller telling us his teammates are prioritizing playing video games over preparing more for the season? Sure sounds like it, and he didn’t sugarcoat any of it, using words like “priorities.” It seems that Miller wants his new teammates to mature a bit and focus on the task at hand. Learn what it takes to be champions.
Miller Used To Be Heavy Into Video Games Early In Career
Miller is now a bit more seasoned and knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport having done it twice. But back in 2012, Miller admitted to having an obsession with playing both Call of Duty and Contra because of his competitive nature the games become addictive.
In an interview with ESPN, Miller even broke some things about the game down.
“As athletes we compete over everything, and a game like Call of Duty is about as competitive as it gets. With the competitive aspect of the game, you can be down a couple of kills and you just want to come back. That’s what draws all athletes to Call of Duty. There is so much competitive spirit involved.”
That was the second-year Miller talking. Now ten years later the veteran future Hall of Famer is singing a different tune, and he wants his new Bills teammates to get on board.
LFG!!!!!!!! https://t.co/ZMPDWMrGKf
— Von Miller (@VonMiller) September 7, 2022
Week 1 against his former team would be a great start.
The future Hall of Famer has been one of the most complete edge rushers in the league. Miller has accumulated 540 tackles, 115.5 sacks and 26 forced fumbles in his career.
Those numbers are why the Bills signed him, to get a pass rush in the fourth quarter when they go against elite signal-callers like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr.
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