M&F: What did it mean for you to win the Super Bowl MVP award?
Von Miller: I mean its great—you know the Super Bowl ring means a little more to me because it’s the award that we did together. We all had a great game; I feel like the MVP could have gone to anybody. It’s a great award to have but the Super Bowl ring weighs a little more.
How do you train during the offseason? How many days do you workout, how many hours a day?
I take Saturday and Sunday off but I try to do something every day. I don’t try to look at it as work though; I try to look at it as a lifestyle. It’s what I have to do to maintain the player that I am today. I just try to take “work” out of my vocabulary. I like to do something every day to keep my body in shape.
What’s your lifting regimen like? Do you do any squatting, or benching, or deadlifting, any big lifts like that?
I don’t do any of that stuff until June, July, getting ready for the season. I’ll probably do that for about two months, heading up to the season is when I usually get all my heavy lifting in. Early in the season I probably won’t be lifting, it will probably be light resistance work.
For now, if you’re not lifting, do you do speed drills, or mobility work?
I play football, so that’s essential. I do a lot of sprints and stuff to keep the Ferrari going. But agility drills—I ease that in week-by-week.
As an outside LB, are there any position-specific exercises that you do to be a better tackler, pass rusher, things like that?
I wouldn’t say there are any specific drills; for me what I like to do is to get the proper amount of sleep, stay on top of my diet. And we have great coaches that keep my individual drills up and stay on top of nutrition.
After a workout, do you anything cool to recover?
I like to do the cryotherapy unit, where you use the nitrogen to drop the temperature down to negative 250. I leave the coach to it but if I had a choice, I would do cryotherapy.
What does it feel like in there?
It feels like Lambo field. Mid-December, with just a pair of underwear on. In the middle of a snowstorm.
Do you feel great when it’s done? Does it live up to the hype?
Yeah I think it does. I think it works longer than the cold tub. But I’m a cold tub guy; I’ve been using the cold tub since day one.
During offseason training, are there any steps to stay injury free and protect your body so that when the big hitting comes during the season you can handle it?
I don’t ever like to get out of shape; I like to do something every day like I said before. It keeps me on that track. To really stay on top of the league and separate yourself from everyone else, you got to work when no one else is working. So I like to do something even if it’s for an hour, every day.
What would be an example of that?
I just go down to the gym at the hotel; I do like 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off on the treadmill, sprints, do some stretching. I don’t have to do weights every day but conditioning, running—you gotta do something every day.
I want to ask you about Peyton Manning, Have you ever worked out together?
I mean we worked out together but not just me and him one on one.
What kind of presence did he bring to the locker room?
I mean he’s a leader, he’s the sheriff. He just has that aura about him. He just has experience with every situation. You know as a teammate or a leader. And whenever he tells us something motivational or whatever it may be, we all listen because he has that experience an he’s been in that situation before.
Did he ever interact with defensive players? Like on a personal basis?
Our team is never really separated by offense/defense; we got a big team and we spend a lot of time together. That’s where success comes from.
Speaking in terms of the game, and your job, do you enjoy playing for run protection, or do you like to drop back, play on the third level, blitzing—what’s your favorite thing to do?
I love everything about defense. I like being the type of the type of guy that no matter what you ask me to do I’ll be able to do it on a high level. Whether it be cutting corners, or rushing passers, or playing the run, I think what’s separates me from the next guy. I enjoy everything about defense. I don’t get nervous when I’m out in coverage. And I don’t get nervous when they run the ball towards me, and whenever I gotta rush the passer. I truly embrace everything there is about playing defense.
Is there any aspect of your game that you think you should be improving on?
I mean every aspect—you could always get better. The great ones—they get better at their craft every single year. I could be a better pass rusher, I could play the run better. I feel like every aspect of my game is OK right now, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.
Is there any one big thing that you and the defense as a whole can work on heading into the season?
Yeah we had a pretty good defense; I just want to improve on that. We could always get more turnovers; we could always be more dominant on the run and the pass. Football is a very humbling sport; there’s always more to do.
What are your preferences for eating? Do you worry about calories or carbs to protein ratio?
I try to eat a really balanced meal. I’m a Ferrari, so I gotta be balanced. I like to take in a lot of complex carbs. The amount of calories I take in is not really a big deal. I like to eat 3 meals a day with a snack in-between. I like to make sure that every one of those meals is complex carb-loaded. With a good source of protein. So like brown rice, broccoli, and chicken breast would be an ideal lunch for me. I could eat that every day. But if I don’t, then I’ll have black beans, broccoli, and salmon. So I try to keep it very simple, and I try load up on the complex carbs.
Do you ever have cheat days?
Oh yeah for sure, the cheat days keep you going. On cheat days I eat whatever, you know. I don’t like to totally separate thing from my diet so If I like it, I’m going to find a way to eat it.
Do you have a favorite cheat meal?
My favorite cheat meal would have to be mashed potatoes with plantains, beans and rice, and macaroni—something like that.
What are some of your favorite snacks to bring on the road and have during training?
I like to eat a lean source of protein. That’s why I keep Chef’s Cut Real Jerky on me as a portable snack that’s high in protein; it’s a to go type of protein snack for me. It’s unlike any other jerky that I’ve tried before. It has the protein that I’m looking for, it’s tender and has tremendous flavor. My nutritionist approves of it. I like to keep Chef’s Cut with me, and water.
