Zac Taylor, thank you for not facing Von Miller to see him in the Super Bowl

The Bengals coach sent a message to Sean McVay after acquiring the pass-rusher before his game against Denver, now he must take care of him in Los Angeles

Zack Taylor sent a text message to Sean McVay after what Los Angeles Rams they acquired Von Millercoming from the Denver Broncosthrough a mid-season swap.

It was not to congratulate him, but to thank him.

The Bengals they were going to travel to Denver in December, and the head coach of Cincinnati He was thankful he didn’t have to worry about facing the leader in sacks in NFL history. broncoswho would no longer spoil his game plan.

“Little did I know what was going to happen,” he said. taylor this week, with a smile, as he weighed ways to prevent Miller torment Joe Burrow like he did Cam Newton in the Super Bowl 50six years ago.

taylor said Miller requires special attention, even at 32 years old and on a team that also includes Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.

“There is no question,” he said. “Von Miller is Von Miller“.

He is the same star who celebrated one of the best defensive performances in the history of the superbowl with an unprecedented six-year, $114 million contract and what Peyton Manning called a “party world tour,” a five-month span that encompassed celebrity appearances on television, including dance contests, as well as parties luxurious.

Miller could not return to the playoffs until six years later, after being loaned in exchange to the rams November 1st.

It was a bittersweet moment for Millerwho still speaks in the first person when referring to the broncos.

“When you win a title, that makes you addicted, as if you wanted it all the time,” he said. Miller. “And in the last few years we haven’t even come close. So, coming to the rams It’s been a real blessing.”

George Paton, general manager of the broncosacquired two draft picks in exchange for Millerwho was in the last year of his contract.

In addition, Paton agreed to pay $9 million of the remaining $10.5 million in Paton’s salary. Miller for 2021. Essentially, he bought the picks of the rams for the second and third rounds of the draft in 2022.

“George Paton could have sent me to any team in the NFL and I’m sure he could have gotten more,” he suggested. Miller. “He paid most of my salary so I could come to the rams. I was sent a candidate to superbowl. And I say thank you, because I always felt that I had a relationship with him that went beyond football.”

Miller described his stay of more than a decade in Denver and mid-season The Angels like “having two children: you love them both, even though they are totally different”.

After a slow start with the ramsaggravated by a sprained ankle, Miller He has had seven sacks in his last seven games, including one on Tom Brady, in which he caused a fumble that the rams controlled to win 30-27 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.

taylor originally experienced the magnitude of the game of Miller in 2010, when he was a graduate assistant at Texas A&M, reporting to his father-in-law Mike Sherman, a former Green Bay Packers head coach.

Miller he guided the Aggies to a 9-4 record and soon became John Elway’s first pick in the draft, and second overall to Newton in the 2011 draft.

“It’s part of one of the most special seasons I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. taylor. “von he took over the games that season and helped us beat teams like Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas. So I’ve always loved von. I am aware of his capabilities and how he can define a game. I’ve seen it too many times where it got away from us.”