ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. ā The memories are too fond, and the bonds formed too tight for Von Miller to say anything negative about the Los Angeles Rams even as the Buffalo Billsā new pass rusher prepares to face his former team in the NFLās season opener on Thursday night.
āThey came and got me at a time when I really needed that. They refreshed me,ā Miller said on Sunday, before listing the many friendships he made ā from defensive tackle Aaron Donald to equipment director Brendan Burger ā in his brief, successful stint with the Rams. āI can never hate L.A.ā
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Whatās also true about the NFLās active leader in sacks is how much heās warmed to his new surroundings. Miller, after all, readily acknowledged second-guessing his decision to leave behind the bright lights of Hollywood and his second Super Bowl championship for Buffalo right up to the moment the 33-year-old signed a six-year contract in March.
āI still remember it like yesterday, coach McDermott saying, `Itās Buffalo. I know it doesnāt have the optics, but you will learn to love this place,āā Miller said, referring to Bills coach Sean McDermott.
āWhen he said it, I thought it was part of the recruiting pitch,ā he added. āBut being here in western New York ... I just feel at home. Iāve fallen in love with the place, and it just gets better and better each and every day.ā
Perhaps, itās the care packages of toilet paper that piled up at his dorm room door at training camp, and sent by Bills fans after Miller questioned the quality of the tissue players were issued. Maybe, it was the call he recently received from his new neighbor, alerting Miller that his garage door was open.
And itās difficult for Miller to ignore Buffaloās talent-laden roster, featuring a dynamic Josh Allen-led offense and a defense which led the NFL in numerous statistical categories last season to make him a true, ahem, Bill-iever.
āYouāre watching clips of (defensive tackle) Ed Oliver and seeing the player he is. You see Josh Allen (receiver Stefon) Diggs and it definitely helps,ā Miller said in April. āYou know, being here for the start of OTAs, itās definitely put me at peace. Iām excited to go. Iām ready to go win a Super Bowl for the Buffalo Bills.ā
Expectations have been high in Buffalo since 2020, when the Bills won their first AFC East title in 25 years and reached the conference championship before losing to Kansas City. Millerās addition raises the temperature further by muscling up what had been a middling pass rush.
āVon Miller, thereās only one in the league. Like thereās only one Aaron Donald in the league that can effectively change the game on a constant basis and something that we havenāt had for a long time,ā Bills Hall of Fame defensive end and the NFL's career sacks leader Bruce Smith told The Associated Press in June. āIf he stays healthy, he will be the missing piece that we needed to complete this quest for a Super Bowl title.ā
Millerās presence alone could have made the difference last season when the Bills squandered a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of an eventual 42-36 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs. Jerry Hughes, whom Miller replaces, was a half-step away from sacking Patrick Mahomes in what could have ended the Chiefsā two-play, 44-yard drive which set up Harrison Butkerās 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Miller showed he hadnāt lost a step after being traded by Denver to the Rams in November. After getting five sacks in eight regular-season games with L.A., Miller added four more in the playoffs, including two in the Rams' Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati.
āVon is 33, but that boy is 23. He moves better than anybody on the football field,ā Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said.
āThe word I would use is an elastic band or a rubber band, because heās just real springy and real slithery,ā he added. āWeāre all big and strong, so if I were to hit somebody, it would be āboom!ā² When you hit Von, itās more like āvoom,ā² like how did that not hit like itās supposed to hit?ā
Bills center Mitch Morse said the prospect of the Bills lining up Miller and Oliver on the same side as being almost like ācheatingā because of the mismatches they can create.
Millerās impact has already extended into a leadership role with him being selected a defensive captain. He's taken Buffaloās young group of defensive ends under his wing, including having them attend his annual pass-rush summit in June, which brings together many of the NFLās top threats.
For all he's accomplished entering his 12th season, Miller is focused on the future, while acknowledging how āweirdā it might be watching the Rams celebrate their ā and his ā Super Bowl title this week. Miller hasnāt flashed his new championship ring around Buffalo, and doesnāt plan to while keeping it locked up as he did with the ring he won with the Broncos in the 2015 season.
āEven though it is a special moment, I donāt want that to be my determining moment in my career,ā Miller said. āI want to make other moments just like that.ā
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