Broncos OLB Von Miller (10.21.21)

On his ankle injury:

“The ankle is good. I feel like I toughed it out. I thought I was good to go out and help my team win but the doctors and trainers decided to keep me out. My pride is hurting more than anything else. I talked a lot of shit before this game and I made it personal. I wanted the animosity. I wanted this to be that game. I wanted to win and leave it all out (on the field). Today, we did some great things in the (first) half. I felt like I was on the way to doing some great stuff in the second half but I got hurt. Hat’s off to those guys. They ran the ball and they had some key screens in both halves. We just weren’t quite able to get off the field on third down, and we weren’t quite able to stop the run.”

On the defense not being able to stop the Browns on third down:

“It’s not a coach thing nor is it a personnel thing. We’ve got everything that we can possibly need to win games. We’ll look at it again and keep going. I’m going to continue to make it personal and to put my pride into it. That’s what football is about – it’s about winning games, not about losing. It’s about creating the animosity and going out there, and being victorious. We lost today, and it’s humbling. Hat’s off again to the offensive line. They played well today. We’ve got to rack it up and keep going. I feel comfortable with the guys we have in the locker room that we’ll be able to turn this around.”

On allowing the Browns to score on the opening drive:

“It’s the second or third week that we’ve given a score on the opening drive. We have to continue to work it out. It was defeating but we rallied and gave ourselves a chance. We weren’t able to get off the field on third down. We weren’t able to stop the run. It’s tough and it’s a hard way to go out.”

On when he knew his injury was serious:
“Right when it happened, I knew. I got hit and I felt it. I said a quick prayer. I didn’t want to put any pressure on it first so I took it slow and walked to the tent. They checked it and it was good but they told me not to run. In the locker room, we did x-rays. They were good too, so I thought I had a chance to go back out. I started to run, do some of the things I do on the football field but my ankle was a little tender on the inside. It wasn’t enough for me to get the approval from the trainer to go back out. I feel comfortable. As I said, my pride is hurting more than my ankle. It’s the same ankle as last year but on the inside, not the outside. I feel like I dodged a bullet. I can walk and I feel comfortable about the Washington game. We’ll do an MRI in the morning. I did a strength test and I was able to do it. It’s nothing structural. It’s a little pain and I’ll be able to fight it. Fortunately, we have a few extra days to recover before (the game against) Washington.”

On rescuing the season:

“We will continue to make it personal. I like that animosity and how it feels. I like the space that I’m in and I felt comfortable with everything that I’ve said, and the preparation that I had coming into this week. I feel comfortable with the type of player that I am and it didn’t come off this week. We’ll put our pride first – we’ve got great players and great coaches. I feel comfortable with the direction we will go in for the rest of the season.”