Miller has a dance for every dump of the QB he gets
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) Quarterbacks like to say each interception has its own story. For Von Miller, every sack has its own celebration.
Denver's star rusher has 58 sacks in his five NFL seasons, including nine this season. He dropped San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers twice last weekend. The first time, he worked his way out of the pile and did a choppy celebration that was part water sprinkler, part robot.
''It was happening too quick and I felt on a timer. You've got a timer on you to get the sack dance in. I felt like I had wasted a little bit of time when I got up off the pile, so I just had to hurry up and do something,'' Miller said.
He said he guesses he'll call this one ''The Robot.''
A robot dabbing maybe.
''Yep, that's it right there,'' he said.
But without the hip thrusts.
''No, no pumps,'' Miller insisted. ''I thought about it for like a half a split-second, but too expensive.''
Earlier this season, the NFL fined Miller $11,567 for his hip thrusts after sacks.
A big Key & Peele fan, Miller said he was just channeling his inner Hingle McCringleberry, the comedy duo's foil who gets flagged after his third pump.
After hearing about the fine, Jordan Peele tweeted that he and Keegan-Michael Key donated that same amount to Miller's charity, ''Von's Vision,'' which provides glasses to underprivileged kids.
''It was dope,'' Miller told The Associated Press. ''Those guys are great guys. It was great that they could do that. They didn't have to do anything like that and they were kind enough to do that and they helped out around 450 kids. It was great.''
Miller had low marks for rookie teammate Shane Ray's sack celebration last week in which he simply somersaulted twice. Ray must have drawn inspiration from a pregame film the defense watched, Miller suggested.
''I had a sack against the Chargers in 2012 where I like rolled after it and I had gotten up and I did like a little something. We showed that before, so it's just Shane. You can't show Shane stuff like that before (the game). You've got to show that after,'' Miller said.
''I thought it was pretty creative, but still he's got a long way to go. I feel confident he'll be able to get it better. Repetition is the father of learning.''
Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips likes to consider himself young at heart - his homespun wisdom and corny jokes make him a must-follow on Twitter ((at)sonofbum) - but when it comes to Miller's sack celebrations, he's admittedly stumped.
''I don't really know what he's doing, but I'm glad he's doing it,'' Phillips said. ''He seems to change his dances every game, but as long as he gets them every game, that's great.''
And no, he has no two-steppin' tips for his fellow Texan.
''No,'' Phillips said. ''I can only do the `YMCA' and that's about it.''
NOTES: The Broncos (10-2) will have to juggle their lineup against the Raiders (5-7) Sunday with safety T.J. Ward (ankle) and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (concussion) ruled out, along with Peyton Manning (foot). The biggest impact could come on special teams after a week in which 22 players were listed on Denver's injury report.
Todd Davis moves to Brandon Marshall's ''Mike'' linebacker spot with Marshall sliding over to Trevathan's ''Mo'' position, which would basically be the weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 scheme.
''No player has had a better week of practice than that guy,'' coach Gary Kubiak said of Davis, who made two starts for the Broncos last year. ''... He worked really hard for this opportunity, so I'm excited to see him play.''
The Broncos list safeties David Bruton Jr. (knee) and Omar Bolden (hamstring) as 50-50. Same with tight end Vernon Davis (head), wide receivers Bubba Caldwell (thigh) and Bennie Fowler (ankle), and running backs C.J. Anderson (ankle) and Ronnie Hillman (foot). Kubiak said Hillman, who practiced Friday for the first time all week, will start. If Anderson is out, Hillman will split snaps with Juwan Thompson.
And outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware is ready to return from a back injury that sidelined him for a month.
''He has a good chance,'' Kubiak said. ''Put him in that category.''
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