A year ago, Broncos All-Pro linebacker Von Miller could offer only words of hope. He was hopeful he could return from knee surgery and be 100 percent by the start of the season. He was hopeful his offseason devoted to rehab would pay off.
This year, he has a new message.
“Everybody has been talking about ‘cracking the whip,’ ” he said Wednesday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, where his foundation, Von’s Vision, distributed prescription glasses to nearly 150 underprivileged children. “Man, I’ve been cracking the whip since I got here. … We want to win.”
After missing the Broncos’ final five games in 2013 because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Miller returned last season to start all 16 games for the Broncos, making 42 tackles (17 assisted) and 14 sacks, sixth in the league.
Vintage Von returned, but the Broncos’ usual expectation to win it all — Plan A — went unfulfilled, with an .
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For Miller, it was a sign that more work was needed. And it meant there would be no true offseason for him this year.
“I didn’t want to take a break from football,” he said. “Last offseason, I couldn’t really train the way I wanted to, and this offseason I’m 100 percent, I’m ready to train. I’ve been focusing on my nutrition and talking to my teammates. Not one day goes by where I don’t talk to somebody from the linebacker group or the D-line group.”
But any bit of comfort Miller feels in training year-round might be countered by another offseason of changes for the Broncos — on the field and the sidelines. Gone are safety Rahim Moore, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and a 4-3 scheme. In are defensive tackle Vance Walker, defensive end Antonio Smith, D-coordinator Wade Phillips and the 3-4.
“This type of defense that we’re going to play,” he said, “I know for a fact that we’ll bring the pressure. We’ll be able to focus some of our talents and our strengths.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickijhabvala
