Friday, April 12, 2013

Von Miller: "We throw the book at Manning"

Last night, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller appeared on NFL Network.  The first question: What is it like to practice against quarterback Peyton Manning?

"Practicing with Peyton Manning it's like a mini-camp every single day," Miller told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano on Thursday evening.  "He's a competitor, he wants to win and we want to win too, so he throws the book at us and we throw the book at him too."

That strategy of "throwing the book" at each other must have worked, as Denver's offense ranked fourth in the league last season while their defense came in second, according to NFL.com.

"We try our best to confuse him," continued Miller, "and throw this blitz here and this dropback here—it's really like a mini-game, and I think that's why we had some of the success we had on defense.  I think it showed on Sundays."

Meanwhile on Friday, the NFL announced 23 players that will be attending the 2013 NFL draft later this month.  Among those players is Alabama running back Eddie Lacy, who remains an intriguing prospect for the Broncos.

My mock has Lacy landing in Denver, but if he does not fall to 28th overall, Notre Dame's Manti Te'o provides another option.  But Te'o will not be attending the draft.  Neither will Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant, who has been heavily mocked to the Broncos in recent weeks.

The 2013 NFL draft will take place in just under two weeks on Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET.