Sports

Von Miller Sets Sights On Leading League In Sacks, Defensive Player Of The Year Award

April 7, 2020 / 1:13 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

(CBS4) - There isn't too much Von Miller hasn't accomplished in his career. He has been the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl 50 MVP, three-time All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL's 2010 All-Decade Team on Monday.

Still there is one thing that's eluded the future Pro Football Hall of Famer.

"Going forward I have to lead the league in sacks, get a Defensive Player of the Year," Miller said to the media in a conference call on Monday. "I have to figure out a way to do that. I feel like sacks and the Defensive Player of the Year Award go together. If I can lead the league in sacks, I think they just go hand in hand."

In the nine seasons Von has worn the orange and blue jersey, he's never led the NFL in sacks despite racking up 112.5 career sacks, which are the fifth most sacks in a decade in league history. The closest Miller was to leading the NFL in sacks was in 2012 when he has 18.5 sacks, just two shy of the Houston Texans J.J Watt's 20.5 sacks.

Last season, Von's sack numbers dropped to 8, which was only the second time in his career that he didn't finish a season with double digit sacks. But he feels he's primed to rebound from the slow season.

"I really feel like some of my best ball is coming up," Miller said. "Winning Defensive Player of the Year and leading the league in sacks is attainable with the team I have and the type of people that I have around me. It's more attainable than ever. I have to take advantage of this opportunity that I have. I have to go get it."

Miller is the only starter left from the team that won Super Bowl 50. The Broncos have retooled the defense in the offseason, adding cornerback AJ Bouye and five-time Pro Bowler defensive lineman Jurrell Casey. Von hopes the additions will help the team make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2015.

"I've had a lot of great tackles around me. Jurrell Casey is one of them. I'm looking forward to playing with a guy like that, having a guy like that inside whether it's the run game or whatever. It doesn't matter if we can find a way to get to the quarterback. On the other side (Bradley) Chubb is going to do the same thing. I'm pretty excited about having Jurrell Casey and the guys that we kept. It's going to be an exciting time."