Miller: I can 'still roll out of bed' and rush passer

ASHBURN, Va. - New Washington Commanders linebacker Von Miller is not among those who question what helium tin inactive bash arsenic an borderline rusher astatine property 36. He made that wide during his archetypal property league successful Washington.

"Let maine rush, that's what I do," Miller said Thursday. "I tin inactive rotation retired of furniture astatine 36 years aged with my shoes connected and unreserved the passer. I tin bash that close erstwhile I aftermath up caller retired of sleep. I emotion rushing the passer."

The Commanders intelligibly admit those who tin bash that arsenic well. They signed Miller to a one-year woody for $6.1 cardinal -- with the quality to gain up to $10.5 cardinal successful incentives. The Commanders ranked 11th successful sacks with 43 past season, but they were 30th successful fourth-quarter sacks with lone five.

Both Miller and the Commanders besides are looking for the aforesaid thing: a travel to the Super Bowl. Miller won a Super Bowl successful Denver, erstwhile helium was named the game's MVP, and with the Los Angeles Rams. Miller mislaid successful the AFC Championship Game past play with Buffalo.

Washington has not played successful the last crippled since the 1991 season, but reached the NFC Championship Game past play for the archetypal clip since that season.

"You conscionable can't permission Josh Allen for anywhere," Miller said. "You can't spell from the AFC Championship and spell anywhere. ... This squad is each astir winning. I'm each astir winning. That's wherefore I'm present is to win."

That's why, Millers said, helium chose to motion with the Commanders -- implicit 2 different teams, a root said -- knowing they had a second-year backmost successful Jayden Daniels coming disconnected a rookie play that was hard to top. Miller called Daniels 1 of the champion quarterbacks successful the league.

Meanwhile, Miller has been 1 of the champion walk rushers since entering the NFL successful 2011 with Denver, signaling 129.5 vocation sacks, including six past play with Buffalo.

With Washington, Miller apt volition beryllium a situational walk rusher -- the Commanders person a deeper rotation of ends who tin play the run.

Washington manager Dan Quinn said helium inactive saw Miller's quality erstwhile watching him connected portion earlier they signed him.

"What I saw connected tape, the quickness to bushed idiosyncratic to the punch and that's what walk rushing, the archetypal part, has to beryllium about," Quinn said. "[It's] astir getting the violative tackle backmost and feeling that stress. If you don't person that, it makes it hard to enactment a batch of accent connected a tackle.

"You person it oregon you don't. You tin spot it. It's not hard to measure idiosyncratic that's got the quality to truly leap disconnected the spot."

Miller said arsenic he's aged, the contented he's collected has helped adjacent if he's mislaid a small of what made him 1 of the astir feared walk rushers successful his archetypal 8 seasons. During that play with Denver helium recorded double-digit sacks 7 times -- and the 1 twelvemonth helium didn't helium missed 7 games due to the fact that of injury.

Miller said helium hasn't mislaid immoderate "twitch" mentally, and that allows him to inactive play fast.

"When I enactment the cleats on, erstwhile I get successful my stance, I tin conscionable consciousness it, inactive twitchy," helium said, "probably not arsenic twitchy arsenic I was earlier erstwhile I was 21 years old. That's conscionable life.

"But I inactive got capable twitch to inactive spell retired present and bash what I bash and beryllium effectual successful the game. I inactive consciousness similar I person thing to springiness to the game. The instrumentality is you don't privation to get kicked retired the league, but you don't privation to permission excessively aboriginal either. I'm inactive successful betwixt that saccharine spot and I'm doing everything successful my powerfulness to enactment there."

Miller besides said it took him clip to set successful Buffalo to playing little and being a situational rusher. He said helium liked playing much due to the fact that it allowed him to acceptable up definite moves aboriginal successful the game.

Miller past likened his relation astatine 36 to a hoops subordinate tasked to marque an instant interaction disconnected the bench.

"My presumption now, I get successful the crippled and I've got to sprout the 3 close now," helium said. "I'm coming disconnected the seat and I'm dribbling and I'm shooting the 3 close now. I'm not passing the ball."

Washington hopes Miller's versatility combined with extracurricular linebacker Frankie Luvu, who recorded a career-high 8 sacks past season, volition supply a much accordant unreserved passim the game. Luvu said erstwhile helium played successful Carolina, helium studied Miller.

"He's going to assistance america a lot," Luvu said. "To person him connected our defence volition bring thing but foodstuff successful winning clip moments."