On Wrong Side of 30, DeMarcus Ware Knows how Von Miller Can Stay Elite
DeMarcus Ware knows his friend Von Miller inside and out. Ware is closer to Miller than any individual Denver Broncos coach, past or present.
Ware joined the Broncos as a free-agent signing back in 2014 after the Dallas Cowboys released him. From there, Ware took younger and less-mature Miller under his wing and provided on-field clinics and guidance away from the gridiron.
Ware’s positive life influence on Miller is well-documented and the pair’s friendship has remained as strong even after Ware walked away from the game following the 2016 season, about a year removed from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in triumph at Super Bowl 50. Ware recently checked in with Phil Milani of the team site to detail exactly what kind of advice he has been passing on to his famous protégé.
Ware sees Miller has having to reinvent himself in order to make the most of his twilight years in the NFL now that Miller is on the wrong side of 30.
“I asked him a question as I was interviewing with him," Ware told Milani. "I said ‘It was almost Year 10 for me when I came up there to Denver. Von, what I had to do—I was good, but I wasn’t as good as you at the time. But, I had to reinvent myself, reinvent myself mentally so I can stay consistent.’”
In addition to reevaluating how to look at the game mentally, if Miler wants to stay on top as one of the NFL's premier pass rushers, he has to focus on keeping his aging body in the best possible condition. Broncos Country has been shocked to see Miller's body transformation, which he flaunted in recent days on his social media accounts.
Despite being retired now several years, Ware continues to work out at superhuman levels, so when he marvels at Miller's re-sculpted body, you know it’s for real.
“I’m going to tell you something," Ware told Milani. "I saw Von the other day. Von is big. I’m talking about muscular big and fast, too. He was getting off the ball, I’m like, 'Dude, this is the Von I want to see.' This is the guy that I know can take on any kind of double team that can withstand through a whole season, and [is] in great shape. I’m excited to just see him play this season for sure—him and [Bradley] Chubb.”
In the dog-eat-dog NFL, it’s clear that Miller is embracing the old mantra ‘iron sharpens iron’, which is shared by Ware, as he attempts to bounce back from his underwhelming 2019 campaign wherein he was unable to reach double-digit sack totals for just the second time in his prolific career.
Ware related the current situation to his own late-career revival in Denver as he advised Miller to embrace becoming that super-smart veteran and squeeze the most out of his 30-something body.
“I would just say consistency and knowing—being a lot more knowledgeable on how they are attacking you," Ware told Milani. "Because no matter what, you got the name and you got the effectiveness. And so they going to key on you every single time they go in the offensive meeting room, they going to say we got to stop this guy.”
Last season, Miller accepted accountability for his low sack totals. Looking back, he might have been harsher on himself than was warranted, especially considering how slow the Broncos were to adjust to Vic Fangio's new defensive scheme after losing Bradley Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.
Opposing offensive game-plans focused all too frequently on nullifying Miller off the edge via double- and triple-team attention. Coach Fangio seemed overly reluctant to mix the system up and use Miller to attack from some different positions.
Ware was keen to stress the importance of Miller himself being flexible to attack from different spots in the formation and disguise his intentions in the process. The disruptive impact of newcomer Jurrell Casey inside is likely to help Miller and the entire defense get in more favorable alignments.
Additionally, the hope is youngsters like Dre’Mont Jones and rookie third-rounder McTelvin Agim can also produce pressure in rotational spot duties. Entering Year 2 of the Fangio defensive system, the elite pairing of Miller and Chubb should be unleashed to their full potential.
A lot will still depend on Miller leading the young defensive group, particularly as Chubb will not get the benefit of warming up in any preseason games to find his feet and regain confidence in his surgically repaired knee. Ware made believes Miller has to be willing to share the load and lead the guys who are looking up to him.
“Now you are going to be that guy," Ware told Milani. "Like, no matter what, they are going to protect you when you are out there while you are getting those double teams. But you are going to have some other great players that you poured into that are going to take the weight off you. That’s when the true captain, the true team player comes out in these latter parts of your career.”
That was the secret of Ware's success on the back-9 of his career. He became a coach on the field out of self-interest as much as any football altruism because he understood that the better the guys around him were, the more opportunity he'd have to eat on the gridiron. It's a philosophy Miller can take to heart and replicate to great success in 2020 and beyond.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
