Welcome into a very special next man up Commander's family, because we've got a future Hall of Famer in the building. Decide to take his talents to the Burgundy and Cold currently leads the NFL in sacks for current players, The Big Dog Von Miller Welcome.
Brother, I appreciation, thanks for having me.
It's a pleasure to have you.
Bro.
You just put pen to paper. How does it feel to be a Commander?
It feels good. You know, I've been in the league.
What's going on my fifteenth year, so you know a little bit about every team. This team is a really good team. Janey Daniels is a really good quarterback. Young quarterback, but he's really really good man. And I've been blessed to play with some good ones from Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford to Josh Allen. You know, you just can't leave those guys and go to anybody. So I think Jaden Daniels is going to be on the list with those same guys in the future.
And we know a guy like Jaden Daniels would make anybody want to play here. Right But in year fifteen, when you've done it all, when you have that future Hall of fame career. What makes you say I'm gonna take my talents to Virginia, to the d m V and play for the Commanders.
I think, you know, it all started with the potential of this team.
You know, I had felt.
Like I had known Dan Quinn for a long time and I had just met him, like, you know, a month and a half ago.
But I had felt like I haven't known them.
All the guys that have played for them, they rave about them, they love them. And when I was presenting with the opportunity to come here, I couldn't.
I couldn't resist, man.
And you know, this team has a lot of potential, and I just wanted to add to that.
I just wanted to be a part of the culture.
I'm a team guy, you know, I don't like to too my own horn, but when it comes to being one of the guys, like I'm I'm the.
Best at it.
I'm the best at blending in, I'm the best at getting the guys together, vibing with the guys, bringing the locker room together, like, I'm the best at that.
It ain't nobody around the league that do that better than me.
And you know, I've heard about this team and the type of culture they have, and I wanted to ask you that I.
Love that confidence.
Man.
Even just saying that just now, it sounds I feel like I'm.
Talking to Joe with Junior guy.
Now, Joe June has only been the deeps of coordinator for one season, However, I think he's well known around this league. Man, how do you see yourself fitting in what's already working here in that Joe with Junior system.
Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm here to your sex. You know, I'm here to add to the past rush. I'm you know, and I'm here to do whatever it takes to win the game. You know, whatever it takes to win. You know, if that's uh blitzing him, that's playing and run, if that's sacking the quarterback, I'm here to do it. Been in the league fifteen years and it's nothing better than a locker room after a big win.
And that's that's why I'm here. I'm here to you know, the vibe in the locker room and celebrating the locker room after big wins. You know, all wins are great, but the big ones, you know, the big ones in December, January and February, you know, That's why I'm.
Here, and I heard you're going to be rocking the number of twenty four?
Is that correct?
What goes into that? Because I think you would posted something showing Champ Bailey in that twenty four and ex Washington player, man, what made you decide to do twenty four?
Fifty eight was gone, forty was gone, okay, all right, and then five five is obviously gone.
You know.
But those are the only numbers that I've wore, you know, throughout my whole football career.
I wore twenty for one time in college. One of my.
The Sodo alumni, he had got injured in practice and he was paralyzed from you know, neck down, and his number was twenty four and I wore for one game, you know, and support of him, Corey Burner.
In college, it was my I want to say, it was my.
Junior year. It was my junior year in college, and uh and I wore twenty four. And in the game versus Arkansas, it takes a stadium, and you know, it just spoke to me too. I'm a huge Kobe fan as well, and it just that number just spoke to me, you know, And they they told me about you know, fifty eight being gone, forty was gone, so twenty four was just it was just next, and it just kind of spoke to me. And you know, obviously I'm I
played with Champ Bailey. He was fan of Champ Bailey, and you know when he was here, he was twenty four too, So you know, it was a lot of things that kind of just tapped me to that number.
And you know that's the number, not more world when I get here.
Sounds like a great decision. Sound like a lots tied into that decision. Now when we speak of decisions, right, and we look at what you've already done, we look at that resume of things you're ready to COMPLI you said going in a year fifteen. I've sat here, was zat Ertz. I've sat here with Bobby Wagner, two guys that have also done enough to be considered into that Hall of Fame, to be sitting for that gold jacket. And I had to ask them the same thing, Why
why keep going? What is von Miller's Why you've accomplished so much already?
Yeah?
What drives you now, man? Just the opportunity to you know, win another Super Bowl. You know, I wrote, remember your why on my mirror. I think it was.
I think it was like February. It had to be. I think it had to be.
Like February sixteen, twenty twenty five, at the beginning of this year, you know, just a little affirmation on my mirror so I could look at it every day. And you know why I do it, Man, I got too young boys. You know, my oldest he would be four next month, August sixteenth, and my youngest he'd be three February seven. And you know, when they I want them to be able to remember me. I want them to be able to see me play. And I don't want to just be on YouTube. If that's what it is.
If that's what it is, if that's what I got to do, like hey, go to YouTube, what's daddy, then that's what I gotta do. But I want them to remember. I want them to remember me playing. I want them to remember me making great plays. I want them to remember the guys that you know, that I hung around and that I played with. And you know, dan Quinn has a really tight knit culture here with the family and having the kids and everybody here, and I wanted.
To be a part of that.
Son Otherwise obviously. You know I want to get I want to get as many sacks as possible, you know, try to break into that top ten. I got one hundred and twenty nine and a half sacks. I think top ten will put me in if I can get.
To you know how many more you need for top ten and get eight more, get you in that top ten. Three more will make you pass Lawrence Taylor.
Yeah.
So a lot of greats, a lot of great right there in a list like Grace that I looked up to, and just to be able to, you know, past those guys. You know, you play long enough, you get enough sacks, you have an opportunity to do it. And I'm just taking advantage of my opportunity that was presented to me. Man, It's nice that I sat in my hotel room and pray, let me go out there and play well tomorrow.
Let me go out there and win the game. Want to win the Super Bowl.
Let me play well enough so I can get a college scholarship. You know, these are all prayers that I had when I was younger, going you know, through this process in my career, and I just don't want to just get out of way, you know, Obviously you don't want to get kicked out of the league, but you don't want to leave too early. And I still think I'm in a I still think I'm in a sweet spot and I can still play, and you know, it's a great opportunity to come play for a contender.
So here I am Vaughn.
I don't think nobody kicking you out of anywhere, man, But it's crazy to hear somebody that has a Super Bowls, like I said, has those accolades, and you talk about you still needed to write an affirmation for yourself. You still need to remind yourself about your greatness. There's a humbleness in that. What do you get from those moments where you take a step back and say, Okay, I'm gonna write these things down because there's still goes to accomplish. There's still ways I need to be locked in.
Yeah, it's I mean, it's it's power and just writing it out it's power and saying negative stuff too. I always try to stay away from all of that. I'm super sensitive to that, and I think that's why my teammates that I played with they respect me for that. I'm super sensitive to that. I feel that, but also I'm trying to be the most optimistic person that I possibly can be. And obviously just because you optimistic don't
mean you know positive stuff is gonna happen. But if you're a negative, negative stuff is gonna happen one hundred percent of the time. So for me, I just try to stay present, try to control what I control, and just try to stay positive and just take it one day at a time.
And you know, here we are.
Man, that awareness of your mentality and your emotions is so valuable. Man. And then you enter a linebacker room with another future Hall of Famer in Bobby Wagner and a god really trying to get it right now in Frankie Louvu. Man, how excited are you to be able to play along? So I got that? And what do you think you bring to add to what's already working there?
Man?
I'm I'm like I said, I'm a team guy, man, And and I know ball, uh no ball, You know, every team has different terminology and different language of course that you got to learn. But when it comes to
to ball, I got a pH d in it. It doesn't matter it's offense, defense, special teams, you know, I just knowing we got some great guys here, we got some real dogs here, those two guys, it was a huge part of the reason why I decided to come here, along with Jaden Daniels and you know, Dran Payne and you know all of these guys.
Man.
So you play long enough in the football league, in the National Football League, you know a little bit about every team, and there's a lot to be known about this team.
Man.
They're they're right there on the edge. Got a lot of talent, and I just want to, you know, supplement that. I just want to you know, add to that, you know, have opportunity to be the first player to win three Super Bowls or three different teams. That's that's enough to get you motivated as well. And then selfishly, you know, I just want to see if if I'm if I'm the magic that did it, you know, if I'm the magic that that can that can make it happen.
You know, if do I have the stuff to.
Improve the team? Am I really the team got it? I think I am. These are all challenges that you know that I faced every single day that I'm excited to face. And yeah, I'm excited to get in here with these guys, and you know, help with the mentality, help with the.
Mindset, help with the culture.
Obviously, get sacks on the football field, and just and just supplement to already is what it is to supplement to a great team that's that's already being built.
And you mentioned those accolades that list being in that top ten and what that would mean for you as far as sacks go. Can you put that into words?
What do it mean?
Because I know a god like LT, somebody you looked up to, somebody that you dreamed of being able to be, Well, you have a good chance of surpassing that. Just three sacks away, six sacks last year. We got to imagine we're gonna see a lot of sacks this year. Man, What is that going to mean to you? To be able to pass those guys that were your idols and now we're your pis.
Man. I just get goosebumps thinking about it, like you know, a little.
Kid thinking about playing football as a little kid and having a dream of playing in the National Football League And here we are going to year fifteen. I just need three sacks to you know, pass LT and a SAX to be in the top team, like it's a it's a blessing man, and I'm I'm humbled by it. And at the same time, I just want to take
advantage of my opportunity. I want to be present and just really control everything that I control and see how far I can really push and see how far I can really take it.
You know, I don't like to be an autopilot.
I like to come to work with a purpose and the intention, you know, each and every day that I come here, and you know, I got a great opportunity to really add to all of that stuff, and I just want to be present and take advantage of everything that I possibly can to get as much as I possibly can, but not to be greedy or anything like that, but just to take advantage of this opportunity that God has blessed me with.
Hey man, that God is good any yes, sir, Yes, yeah, all the time. He is good.
And Vaughan, we talk about this manifesting, you know, writing things down, putting positivity in the atmosphere. I'm one of those guys too. What's the expectation for von Miller going into year fifteen. Yes, you had six sacs last year, but I know for somebody like you that might not be enough. What is the expectation going into this year?
You know, it's uh, you know, expectation is crazy because you know, we all have great expectations. We all we all want like you know, we all want to be like the best, and we all want to you know, be billionaires, and we all want you know, you know, it's just that's how the human heart is and the human mind is. I just want to take advantage of my opportunity. You know, we have a unique opportunity in tim me especially. You know, I'm thirty six, I'll be
thirty seven in March. I can still play. I guess, a unique opportunity and the timing is right, and I just want to take advantage of that. That's that's all it really is for me. I want to take advantage of everything that's presented with me. Nothing in life happens by coincidence. You know, I'm here by I'm here for a reason.
I'm here.
It's a purpose and intention behind it, and I just want to take advantage of that, whatever that may be.
You know, we're still trying to figure it out. You know.
If that's going out there and getting twenty sacks, cool, I take it. You know, if it's another six sacks, I take it.
You know. Whatever God presents to me, you know, I take it.
But at the same time, I'm gonna control everything that I possibly can controla I'm gonna go out there and practice and play and work to you know, be.
Up there with the top guys.
Whatever is presented to me, though, I take it, and I'm humbled by that, and I'm appreciative and grateful.
For whatever it is, I'll be able to receive.
I don't know if you've heard the saying, but one thing, dan Quinn loves dog gas competitors and vol Let me tell you. Sitting here for just these few minutes, man, I could tell you a dog gas competitor, and I can't wait to see what you do. Congratulations on all the success so far. Congratulations on the new contract, a new bag.
It's a beautiful thing.
And welcome to the DNV, my brother.
I appreciate you. I'm excited to be here. Let's go get it.
Oh yeah, let's go get a commanders family. Our next man up, future Hall of Famer, gonna bring some sacks to the Burgundy and Gold, my guy von Meller