The Los Angeles Rams made one of the biggest splashes ahead of the trade deadline this year, acquiring star pass rusher Von Miller from the Denver Broncos.
The move was actually met with a lot of criticism since the Rams gave up a second and third-round draft pick to acquire Miller, who not only is in the last year of his deal, but also looked as if he was aging and not the same player during his games with the Broncos this year.
No one is criticizing the moves now though as Miller has had a resurgence in recent weeks, which is a big reason the Rams are in the NFC Championship Game. In his last six games, Miller has seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
When asked how he’s been able to play at that level in his 10th season at age 32, Miller had an interesting answer, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I really don’t know. I wish I had the formula, I’d do it every game that I play in,” Miller said with a laugh Wednesday, when asked what it is about this stage that can bring out that type of a performance in him or any player. “There’s just one thing about the playoffs and these moments, you know – there isn’t another game after this unless you win, unless you perform well. And I know, for me, I get the most out of myself whenever I’m doing something for somebody else, whenever I’m playing for somebody else.”
Miller went on to elaborate on that, saying his motivation comes from wanting to get his Rams teammates a championship:
“So many teammates on my team, this is really all they need,” Miller said. “Aaron Donald, this is all he needs, and he has the whole shabang, you know? Andrew Whitworth and Eric Weddle and all of these guys, I want to do for them. And I feel like that is what really drives me whenever I’m on the football field.”
Miller has already won a Super Bowl in his career with the Broncos, even being named the MVP of that game.
So he knows what it takes to get it done on the biggest stage, which will be important for this Rams team that is looking to finally get over the hump.
