Von Miller’s new contract officially makes him the new face of the Denver Broncos

When Broncos Country first heard the news on Von Miller it should have "Tebowed." I know I did, and I’m not even religious. Fans need to use this precious time to praise and thank whichever deity they worship that this madness is mercifully over .... until next year when the process starts anew. Yippee!

In the meantime, let that fresh air from the huge sigh of relief rush through your lungs. Miller, as most level-headed individuals have said for months, is the new face of the Denver Broncos and will remain so for the remainder of his career.

The manufactured drama, reactionary journalism, rumors and speculation on what could happen with Miller and the Broncos is flushed away like the messy turd it is. Just don’t tell Mike Florio or certain members of the local media that John Elway did in fact extend Miller. It’s like telling a kid Santa Claus isn’t real.

As Elway is proven to do, he gets his man. And you shouldn’t be surprised by this in the least. This is what the Broncos executive vice president and general manager does. See: Matt Prater, Ryan Clady and Demaryius Thomas.

Did people really think Elway wouldn’t re-sign his first draft pick? The guy who has the potential to go down as one of the greatest to play his position? The guy who just put forth one of the greatest, if not the greatest, postseason performances for a defensive player in NFL history? The guy who just led Denver to its third Super Bowl? Really?

Miller is a once-in-a-generation player. You don’t let those guys go. And there was no chance that Elway would let Miller out of Denver. Ever. Under any circumstance.

It may not have come as fast as people may like or think it should have, but they need to get over it. The continued criticism that Elway is cheap ends here. The nonsensical argument that it will eventually catch up to him holds no water. It’s more fake drama. Worse, it comes from "media" types who want to show how tough and contrarian they are. Right on cue, the stories and hot takes now saying Elway got "owned" or "overpaid" and he's too mean in negotiations have arrived.

The other aspect in all of this: who is to say Miller would have signed early? This isn't Madden where you just hit "re-sign" and "boom" it's done. That's not how this works. For those who say Miller would have signed in March or April, that's a huge assumption to make.

The "stingy," "hard-stance" reputation will catch up with Elway, just like it has with Bill Belichick.

News flash: Compared to other professional sports leagues, the NFL as a whole is cheap and treats its players like garbage. You know who takes the brunt of the blame for that? The NFL Players Association. But that’s a topic for another day.

Regardless of how the Miller contract situation played out and the crap you’ve heard in between, and still do until July 28, Miller’s No. 58 will remain in orange for the next half decade, if not the rest of his NFL career. And that’s all that matters.

What’s incredible to think about is Miller hasn’t even scratched the surface on what he can accomplish in the NFL. His postseason run was both historic and magical. What he did in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl is now branded in NFL lore.

As his role model, DeMarcus Ware, will no doubt tell him (if he hasn’t already): He can get even better. He can put himself in the conversation as one of the all-time greats.

If that isn’t motivation enough for Miller, there are those who think a certain pass rusher in Oakland is better than he is. Coupled with Wade Phillips and the best defense in the league on his side, Miller is poised for a historic follow up to his postseason performance.

The one major criticism of Miller before his dominance in the playoffs was consistency. The off-the-field garbage is no longer a factor. It’s been stated numerous times since last August when it was announced, but it bears repeating. Miller is no longer in the NFL’s substance abuse program. At all. He’s no longer subject to multiple tests a week or faces suspension if he were to test positive again. That won’t happen but it shows how hard he’s worked to right his life from where he was three years ago.

As for the consistency issue, whether you agree, it had life. In my mind, the biggest reason why people could levy that against Miller is because of Jack Del Rio and his defensive scheme. You remember, the one where Miller covers Rob Gronkowski on the goal line and defensive backs play off receivers 45 yards? And people think Khalil Mack will shine for the Raiders ... well, maybe if he plays Michael Schofield and Brock Osweiler all 16 games.

Miller ended all of the consistency criticism with what he did in the playoffs.

The goal now is to build on that and do it in the regular season, and then again in the postseason on the way to back-to-back Super Bowl titles. With what Miller and the Broncos defense accomplished in the first season of a new system, they expect to be even better.

Man, it’s great to actually talk about the prospects of football and what Denver may accomplish in the 2016 season. With Miller as the face of the Broncos.

Let the real drama commence.