Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware the Best Pass Rush Duo Ever in the NFL?
Jun 10, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware (94) speaks to the media following mini camp drills at the Broncos practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
No one says you can’t have lofty goals, and that’s exactly what Denver Broncos star pass rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are setting for the 2014 season.
With Miller coming back from his ACL injury and Ware signing this past March, it’s fair for skeptics to wonder what exactly these two will be bringing to the table when the whistle finally blows in August and September. As Ware told the media on Tuesday, they are dreaming big.
"“At the end of the day, when you look at all the guys in the league, you want to be the best at your position and on the best defense in the league,” Ware said. “Me and Von talk all the time about, ‘How many sacks do you want to get this year?’ He threw a number out there, and I said, ‘At the end of the day, a number’s only a result that people can judge.’ I said, ‘But why not be the tandem out there that at the end of the day we can say was the tandem that was best in the league ever?'”“That’s what you want. You want something bigger than that, that lasts forever.”"
The Broncos certainly wouldn’t mind getting that out of these two guys. When Ware was released by the Cowboys, the Broncos dropped everything to make signing him a priority. He was on a flight to Denver almost immediately after becoming a free agent and signed not too long after his arrival.
When Ware became a Bronco, it was clear that Denver was trying to fix a problem area from a year ago. As much as people would hate to admit it, losing Elvis Dumervil hurt the Broncos more than it helped, but with him in Baltimore, it eventually allowed the Broncos the opportunity to sign Ware, who is working his way into cementing the defensive end role opposite Von Miller.
The Broncos were one of the best defenses in the league in 2012, and appeared to be on a very positive trajectory before faltering last year with a variety of injuries and of course the suspension of Miller.
It was the personal business of John Elway this offseason to upgrade the Broncos’ area of weakness, which was getting after opposing quarterbacks and creating turnovers.
Miller and Ware can help fix both of those areas, but be the best the league has ever seen?
The great thing about adding DeMarcus Ware is that the Broncos signed one of the most focused, dedicated veteran players in the league who is getting himself recovered from injury and by all accounts in is peak physical condition and as explosive as ever. With Miller also returning to form, there should be at least some validity to what he and Ware are apparently dreaming up.
Even the most optimistic of Broncos fans won’t say the Broncos have the best pass rush duo ever, at least not yet, but I’d be willing to wager not many fans would have thought that, even with the targets he had last season, that Peyton Manning would break the single season touchdown record at his age.
Hopefully it’s another case where the players surprise us on the field again — in a good way.