Von Miller (58) during mini camp drills at the Broncos training facility. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

We’re just days away from the official start of summer, but temperatures are already heating up all over the country.

Playing football in Denver presents some different challenges compared to other climates. Because Denver is so dry and sits at 5,280 feet above sea level, the Broncos have a unique advantage when playing at home. However, they must condition their bodies the right way in order to be able to take advantage of the thin air on game day.

“The biggest thing is the altitude adjustment,” Broncos team nutritionist Bryan Snyder said Saturday morning at the Football University Denver camp. “You automatically have to increase hydration and carbohydrates because you’re burning more fuel and perspiring a little bit more.”

Snyder and Broncos linebacker Von Miller talked to high school players on behalf of Gatorade’s Beat the Heat program, which educates athletes, parents, and coaches about heat related illnesses.

“Here in Denver, I’ve had to start drinking water and Gatorade early in the morning to get those electrolytes in because it’s so dry here,” Miller said. “I weigh-in every day before practice and after practice during training camp.”

There’s a whole new stable of guys working to condition their bodies so that they can play at altitude during the warm summer months. Snyder said that the easiest way to measure hydration is to get the pre and post weight on players that Miller referred to.

“We’ve had guys lose 7-8 pounds in practice, so they basically need 7-8 bottles of water of Gatorade just to replenish back to where they were,” Snyder said. “If we have high risk guys like that, and we know who they are, we’ll get them on the scale before and after.”

Gatorade and the NFL have partnered up with Korey Stringer’s story in mind. Stringer was an offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings who died from exertional heat stroke after a training camp practice in August of 2001.

“The Beat the Heat program is important because of its focus on providing educational resources that aid in the prevention, recognition and treatment of heat-related illness during the summer sports season,” said Douglas Casa, Ph.D., chief operating officer of the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI), which is housed at the University of Connecticut. “You can’t change the weather but you can change how you prepare to practice or compete in hot weather.”

According to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), roughly 70% of high school football players showed up for practice inadequately hydrated. Dehydration or poor hydration can increase the risk for heat illness.

Miller knows quite a bit about the importance of hydration since he grew up playing football in Texas.

“I think hydration starts early,” Miller said. “If you can create a routine of drinking water in the morning, at lunch time, and at night before you go to sleep, it will be easier to carry over to the next day.”

Along with Miler, other NFL players associated with the Beat the Heat program include J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, and Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys.

Gatorade is offering a free heat safety kit, which provides educational resources that aid in the prevention, recognition, and treatment of heat-related illness during the summer sports season.

Snyder said that when it comes to educating new Broncos’ players, he emphasizes the recovery aspect just as much as the importance of staying hydrated before and during the workout.

“Your body is in a very unique metabolic state for 30 minutes after working out,” Snyder said. “We give the guys shakes after every workout, after every lift, after every practice that has a nice blend of 3:1 carbohydrates to protein. The carbohydrates help refuel their muscles, the protein helps rebuild their muscles. That’s the biggest misnomer. You need more carbohydrates than protein 30 minutes after working out, so that’s what I’m always drilling into guys, especially during training camp.”

If a player stays ready then he doesn’t have to get ready. That’s what makes the NFL a year-round business nowadays.

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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

IS IT REALLY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ALREADY!? It seems like only a few weeks ago I was standing alongside rabid Broncos fans in sub-zero temperatures tearing my heart out. I wasn’t thinking about the redemption that comes with a new season but rather lamenting what could and should have been as well as searching for answers… and a heat lamp, perhaps. That was actually over four months ago.

Jack Del Rio said this week that he got “tired of apologizing” for letting fans (who also happen to be neighbors) down back in January. He wasn’t saying that he hadn’t in fact felt sorry or that he hadn’t let Bronco fans down. He acknowledged that and took it a step further stating, “Obviously we let ourselves down first.”

Del Rio’s statement simply places the extremely disappointing events of January 12 in the past… WHERE THEY BELONG! Whether you are as shocked as I am that it’s already summer (well… almost!), it means that football is right around the corner. There is no time to focus on anything but the present and prepare for the future. Besides, in addition to Del Rio’s comments on the events that unfolded in last season’s playoffs, he also stated that Von Miller “can get better”. He can?!

From a statistical standpoint Von Miller’s first two seasons have been incredible. He has already logged 30 sacks! He was on pace to set the single season sack record for much of last year and finished with 18.5. If he makes the same kind of leap in production this year he will ultimately attain the distinction he was so close to in 2012-2013. Also, he’s durable. He’s played in 31 of 32 games despite wearing a cast for almost half of 2011. An improved Miller means an improved defensive overall, of course, and that must be a frightening prospect for the AFC and league as a whole. Simply consider that Denver had a top five defense last season en route to an 11 game win streak and a 13-3 finish.

If Miller gets better that means the additions of Shaun Phillips and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were a success. It means that suring up the defensve line by re-signing Kevin Vickerson and adding Sylvester Williams and Terrance Knighton created the type of pressure that allowed Miller to pick his spots and make quarterbacks awfully uncomfortable.

Del Rio shouldn’t be apologizing anymore. It’s summer time and preparations for the 2013 season are underway. An improved Von Miller is an exciting prospect for all Bronco fans and the prospects for his improvement are good. The Broncos have made solid off season moves.

Hey, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Whatever you and your family have planned, it shouldn’t be about hanging on to the cold days of winter… it should be about what lies ahead. There is a lot to look forward to. Enjoy your long weekend, Broncos fans. It will be football season before you know it.

Von Miller (58) lines up during the first quarter of the AFC divisional round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s clear that the Denver Broncos’ offense revolves around Peyton Manning. What’s becoming evident as well is that the team’s defense revolves around team-leading sack man Von Miller.

“We have designs bringing pressure from a lot of areas and that’s part of what we do—not only to affect the quarterback and to make it tough for them to know where we’re coming from, but also for them to be able to block Von [Miller],” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “At the end of the day, if you spend too much time on Von, we’re going to try to hit you from the back side. It all ties together.”

Miller followed up his 11.5 sack rookie year with 18.5 (and a pick six) in his second year. Just how is he going to make another jump like that into his third season?

Del Rio talked about Miller needing to perform more consistently. While he had all of those sacks and tackles for a loss, the mental errors were still there, according to Del Rio.

“Be able to play longer, play harder,” Del Rio said of how Miller can improve. “So his conditioning can improve. There are always things that a player can work on and strive for to get better.”

Miller took to yoga last off season with Jason Pierre-Paul. He didn’t do much weight training down in Miami. This off season is much different.

“I’m cutting out the yoga,” Miller said. “I think it worked well for me, but I’m just trying to be a beast. I’m trying to get away from the Gumby stuff. I don’t want to rely on that. I just want that to be like second nature. I want to play football…I want to work out, not do the yoga stuff—I want to get my conditioning up so I can play offense, too (laughing). I just want to get it done.”

While he was joking about playing on offense (imagine Miller as a tight end or full back?), he wasn’t joking about doing what it takes to get better.

It was in mid-January that Miller sat in front of his locker with full pads on and his head down well after the Broncos’ heartbreaking playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. That feeling right there has fueled his off season work, I’m sure.

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