The Los Angeles Rams are hard at work preparing for Super Bowl LVI, the team’s second appearance in four years. However, this time around, it feels as though they have more than enough firepower to get the job done after the additions of Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, and Odell Beckham Jr. have elevated them to a new level.
With talent flooding the roster at nearly every position group, the Rams still have a surprising lack of Super Bowl experience on their roster. Many of the team’s top contributors have never played in the NFL’s biggest event of the year.
Because of that, Miller has taken on a huge leadership role with the team. Miller was the key piece in the Denver Broncos’ 2015 Super Bowl win, taking home the Super Bowl MVP award that year. He — more than anyone in this year’s game — knows what it takes to win it all.
He spoke about the lessons he learned when he was preparing for Super Bowl 50 and how he’s transferred that to the Rams over the past week, according to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“Take advantage of the opportunity, and I’m here to tell you, opportunities like this don’t present themselves all the time,” Miller said during a video conference with reporters Thursday. “That’s the message that I’ve been giving to my teammates. All of the speeches that DeMarcus Ware and Peyton Manning gave me in 2015, and all the stuff that Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas (said), and all the speeches that we had in the locker room, and all the things that we talked about, I pay it forward to these guys. I find myself saying the same thing that Aqib told me and the same thing that Peyton talked to me about and coach (Wade) Phillips, and I’m just paying it forward to these guys.”
Miller is the exact type of veteran leader the Rams needed on their defense. While Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are two of the league’s best players, neither have won a Super Bowl, and Miller represents one of the most qualified leaders in the NFL.
Hopefully, behind Miller, Donald, and Ramsey, the Rams can shut down the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offense en route to a championship. If they can, it would vindicate the Rams front office for giving up everything that they did to put this roster together.
Donald has greater appreciation for Super Bowl his second time around
After appearing — but losing — in Super Bowl LIII, Donald feels his second go-around is leading to a greater appreciation of the game. The reason being, Donald explained, is that he felt the Rams would get to the Super Bowl every year after their first appearance.
By now, he understands that it’s incredibly difficult to repeat as conference champions, with the Rams not getting past the divisional round until this season.
