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Denver Broncos | News

Von Miller taking young pass-rush stars under his wing at 2020 Pro Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. — For young pass rushers at the Pro Bowl, Von Miller is the standard. His career, full of Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro nods and a Super Bowl MVP trophy, is what they strive to have.

And lucky for them, this week in Orlando, he's happy to help them on their way to reaching those goals.

Whether on the field during practice, on the sidewalk on the way to practice or even in the middle of the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, Miller makes time to impart his wisdom on the younger generation of sack artists.

Though they may be young, they are well aware that any advice Miller has for them is advice worth taking.

"[I view him] as one of the greats, as a generational player and just a guy that has just played at a high level for a very long time — something I want to achieve in my life," rookie Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen said. "He's the only guy here that has over 100 sacks, besides [AFC Pro Bowl Legends Captain] Bruce Smith — the only guy that has over 100 sacks and is still playing at a high level.

"I definitely want to achieve that and I'm going to listen to everything he says and just take that with an open heart and appreciate everything he tells me."

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Though Pro Bowl practices are not quite known for their rigor, Miller went into great detail at times when talking with players from his position group, including Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt, who previously spent time learning from Miller at last year's Pro Bowl.

"[H]e's one of the best to rush the passer," Watt said. "He'll be in the Hall of Fame one day, so to be able to take any information from him has been awesome."

This kind of tutelage is something Miller has taken to in recent years as he's become an elder statesman for the craft of quarterback takedowns. Since 2017, Miller has hosted an annual Pass Rush Summit, where he and many of the NFL's best defensive players share tips and tricks to try to improve their game.

"Von's just got so much insight in the way he plays the game," said Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon. "He's, like, so natural. It's kind of amazing. So anything that he can teach me and I can pick up, I'm all ears. So, we've kind of been working out all week, and he has that Pass Rush Summit. He told me to come down, so I'm going to come down this year. If I can just implement anything that he's got in his game, I think I can be so much better and I think it would just take my game to another level."

For Miller, offering advice at the Pro Bowl or at his Pass Rush Summit is just how he gives back to the game and returns the favors that veterans gave him when he was young.

"I just try to pay it forward," Miller said after Thursday's practice. "I had a lot of great guys come before me and show me all types of good stuff. It'd be an injustice not to pass down the information to those guys."

Go inside the week of practice at the 2020 Pro Bowl with our photos focusing on Courtland Sutton and Von Miller and AFC Pro Bowl Legends Captain Terrell Davis.

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