ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It’s hard to imagine a better stretch of football from a quarterback and pass rusher than what Von Miller and Peyton Manning did together with the Denver Broncos from 2012 to 2015.
After making the “great decision” to sign with the Broncos, as Peyton admitted on Wednesday, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback went on to throw 140 touchdowns, set the single-season record for passing touchdowns (55) and passing yards (5,477), win four-straight AFC West titles, appear in two Super Bowls and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Denver.
That was enough for him to be elected into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame on Wednesday morning.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame,” Manning said in a statement shortly after finding out he will be the 35th member in the prestigious group. “I’m very appreciative and grateful for my time with the Broncos.”
During that same stretch — at the beginning of his career instead of the end — Von set a franchise-record for sacks in a year (18.5), had three double-digit sack seasons, won a championship and was named Super Bowl 50 MVP.
“We had a helluva run with Peyton, and he motivated me on and off the football field. He showed me what it means to be a leader on and off the football field,” Miller said, crediting the Hall-of-Fame quarterback for having such a profound impact on his career. “He kind of saved my career as well, seeing the way he operated, seeing the things that he did and seeing the way that he moved. It inspired me and set up the blueprint for how I should do things.”
If Miller’s career were to end now, he would unquestionably join his friend and former teammate in the Ring of Fame five years after he hung ’em up.
But not yet.
“I think about the Ring of Fame, I think about all that stuff, but I’m still stuck here in the present,” Von said, when asked if he ever thinks about his future honors. “I think everybody — whenever you come into the league — you want to go into the Hall of Fame, you want to be in the Ring of Fame, you want to be one of the best players for your franchise. But at the same time, I’m still stuck in the moment.”
At 32, Von has made it very clear his career is not close to being over, despite suffering a season-ending ankle injury before last season. He’s also made it clear he wants to retire in Orange & Blue.
“There’s so much to be done right now,” Miller stated about the current Broncos. “There’s so much to be done with our team, so many games to win, before I can really start thinking about the Ring of Fame.”
DeMarcus Ware, Von’s mentor and former pass-rush partner, played in the NFL until he was nearly 34 years old. Miller still has two more years until reaching Ware’s retirement age and even then, who’s to say he would call it a career. But Von doesn’t just want to play more, he wants to save the best for last.
“I don’t want those years with Peyton to be the highlight of my career,” Miller said on Wednesday. “I think we’ve got some special stuff brewing, I think we’ve got some special games coming. Me personally, I think I’ve got more to prove and more to give to Broncos Country. I think about it. I can’t lie and say I don’t think about going into the Ring of Fame and Hall of Fame and all that stuff, but I’ve still got a lot more to do here, and that’s where my mind is.”
Von certainly is afraid to set the bar astronomically high for himself moving forward.
In 2012, as a second-year player, he guided the Broncos’ defense to be one of the best in the league during Peyton’s first year in town as he racked up 18.5 sacks. In 2015, his historic playoff run — including five sacks, six quarterback hits and an interception — was a primary reason why Denver won the Super Bowl.
But he doesn’t want that stretch to be the highlight of his career.
If Von is able to make his time with Peyton Manning a highlight, instead of the highlight of his career, as Miller wants, the Broncos will have something special brewing in the near future.
