Update: Von Miller’s injury explained and timeline for return.
Gut punched.
How else could I describe the feeling that ran through me when I saw that Adam Schefter tweet? Von Miller is done for the season with not a single snap played.
With the Denver Broncos set to open the season on Monday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans, Broncos Country was ready for a big start to 2020. That all changed in the span of less than 280 characters.
Ian St. Clair and I had wrapped up our first regular season MHR Radio Podcast just a couple hours before the news broke. The season had so much hope, and so much promise. The question is, has that changed?
As we sat down to rerecord the podcast it was apparent that the disappointment about Miller’s injury came from the uncertainty that it brought about. Done for the season, Miller could also be done in Denver. I mentioned to Ian that there is a potential for the end of Miller’s time in Denver to be one of the most tragic on-field endings in team history.
It also opens the door for a change in Denver. Drew Lock is becoming the face of the franchise. The weapons around him are potentially pushing the Broncos towards being a much more offensive-minded team.
Justin Simmons is becoming the leader on defense. Miller was pushing to take on that leadership role in a much more vocal way, but Simmons looks like he will be the one to fill that void.
What all this means remains to be seen. Miller looked like he was poised to have a monster year. Add that to a defense that had added Jurrell Casey and AJ Bouye, and maybe Von’s injury doesn’t spell the end of the season.
As of right now, however, there is nothing that feels good about this. Von Miller IS the Denver Broncos. Once again, 2020 rears its ugly head. By the time Monday night rolls around, hopefully we will all have adjusted.