Broncos coach isn’t one to lay much praise on a player, even if that player is All-Pro linebacker .
In fact, Fangio’s brevity and lack of superlatives when asked about Miller this season has led to speculation that the first-year coach and the franchise centerpiece aren’t getting along.
Miller quickly rebuffed that rumor Wednesday.
“That is crazy — me and Coach Vic get along great,” Miller said. “The type of energy he sends toward me is different (in a good way) than the energy he sends toward everybody else.”
Miller’s slow start to the season accelerated talk of a potential rift, as he has just two sacks through five games.
On Monday, asked about Miller’s play in the Week 5 win over the Chargers, Fangio said: “I thought his rush was OK; I think he’s capable of better. But he was coming free some and did help the pass defense in that way. The run defense was up and down a little bit — he made some good plays (and) a lot of stuff was away from him. It was kind of uneventful.”
Miller equated Fangio’s understated praise of his play to a father who wants to push his talented son to get better.
“We’re teammates at the end of the day,” Miller said. “It’s not a situation where we’ll go out and drink beers and have movie night, no we don’t do that. But when it comes to ball, and me being a better football player, and he seeing the best out of me — I know that he wants to see me be great and push me in the (right) direction to make sure I’m a better player, and I can appreciate that.
“(His commentary) is all out of love. It might come off to the media a little bit differently than what it really is, but I know here inside Dove Valley, there’s no other coach I’d rather have right now to be pushing myself to be the best outside linebacker I could possibly be.”
