INDIANAPOLIS –For the first time in the 2013 regular season, linebacker Von Miller put on his pads and uniform and lined up on the field.
And though the outcome – a 39-33 loss at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts – likely wasn't what he would have liked he said that he felt good getting back out there.
"I felt great," Miller said. "I felt physically and mentally ready to go. The Colts have a great offense, a great offensive line that blocked well. Andrew Luck is a great player and was able to shake out some situations and make plays for his team. They have a great team over there. We're going to keep battling out, trying to get better over here."
Though he didn't record a sack, Miller did pick up a tackle for loss when stuffed Colts' running back Trent Richardson two yards behind the line of scrimmage in the second quarter. He finished the game with a pair of tackles and a pair of quarterback hits to go along with his one tackle for loss.
Head Coach Jon Fox said that Miller's presence made a difference.
"You know, without looking at the tape yet, I felt him a couple of times," Fox said. "I thought our rush was better than it's been. I thought (it was) pretty good for a first time out."
Miller's season debut came as quarterback Peyton Manning was making his first trip back to Indianapolis where he spent the first 11 years of his career. Miller said that he wanted to help give Manning a homecoming victory.
"Peyton's been a great teammate for me and I can speak for everybody, for all of us he's done some great things for Denver and for the Denver Broncos Football Team," Miller said. "It hurts, I really wanted to go out there and get one for him. Knowing the type of guy he is, I know he wanted to same thing. I wanted to lay it out there for him but this is the game of football. We'll have a chance to get some wins for him again."
Miller, who had 18.5 sacks a year ago, said that while there were some mistakes that need to be addressed, he liked the way the team fought until the end of the game and "showed some grit."
"Certain situations happened and we were able to bounce back from it, so I'm proud of my teammates for that," Miller said. "We fought to the end. Like I said, some mistakes happened. I can't really pinpoint it but we'll get back in the lab and we'll figure it out."
