Von Miller and Aldon Smith both drafted in 2011 have had somewhat similar career’s. Both elite NFL pass rushers and both have had their share of off the field issues, but Miller did what Smith couldn’t. Get his act together.

In the same week as Miller has been removed from the NFL’s drug program, the now-former 49ers  linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested for the 5th time in his career, and was released from his team.

Miller perhaps more than anyone in the NFL, can sympathize what Smith is going through. “That’s my guy. I am going to be with him until the very end. We’re friends before anything else. That’s my brother and he’s going through a tough time right now. I’m going to be the same Von that I was before. He was there for me and I’m going to be there for him, wherever that may be. He’s just going through a tough patch right now. I have full confidence that he will be able to get out of it. We’ll see the same Aldon Smith that we saw his first two years in the league. People go through tough times. I’ll be the first one to tell you. I’ve been through a lot of stuff and I’m going to be there for him however long it is to get him back right.”

On a lighter note, I asked Miller about rookie linebacker Shane Ray’s progress after his first week of training camp. “Every day he is taking a step to get better. If he stays on that plan that he is on now, the sky is the limit. Every day he is doing something that he didn’t do before. He’s gaining and learning every single day. That’s all that you can really ask for. They’re not even small steps. He’s taking pretty good steps every single day, and that’s all that you can really ask out of a rookie. He’s going to come in and do a lot of great stuff for us. He’s out there making plays and doing what he has to do.”