The Lead
A year ago, one of the biggest topics of conversation among Broncos fans was the physical transformation that Von Miller made in preparation for the 2020 season.
With a renewed and relentless focus on weight-room training, Miller looked more than ready to bounce back from an eight-sack season, but he — and us viewers — were robbed of the chance to see that by an ankle injury that sidelined him before the season opener.
Now, Miller has not only recovered from his injury and reshaped his body once again, but he's retained that same drive. And with a refreshed defense around him, Miller could be in position to reach career heights and perhaps be productive enough to be the team's MVP. NFL.com's Dan Hanzus believes that's within his reach, as he picked Miller for that honor recently.
"It's easy to be optimistic about a Denver defense that has Miller and Bradley Chubb on the field at the same time — something that hasn't happened nearly enough," Hanzus wrote. "If his body holds up, Miller should return to All-Pro conversation."
Hanzus isn't the only NFL.com analyst who thinks Miller will the same ol' Vonster in 2021. Adam Schein also named him one of the nine players returning from injury that he is most eager to watch.
"There is no doubt in my mind Miller will be highly motivated and highly productive in the fall," Schein wrote. "Get ready for a vintage Von Miller season, especially given all the talent around him in Vic Fangio's defense."
It's the supporting cast that could give Miller exactly what he needs to be successful as he races to the quarterback.
"Miller and Bradley Chubb are about to feast on opposing quarterbacks. Lining up between them, Shelby Harris remains criminally underrated. And then the secondary looks like one of the very best units in football, with Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons flanked by established cover men Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby, as well as polished first-round CB Patrick Surtain II. This could be the best defense in Denver since the unit that fueled the Broncos' win in Super Bowl 50, in which Miller earned game MVP honors."
Below the Fold
Former Bronco and Super Bowl 50 champion Vernon Davis has begun a new career after playing 14 years in the NFL: acting. And he has big expectations, as ESPN’s John Keim writes. "Over time I'll probably show up in so many projects that people will get used to seeing me as an actor and forget about me as a player," Davis said. "I think about watching Terry Crews and The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] and you see them and you don't think about them as athletes, because you see them in so many different projects. That will probably happen with me."
