Von Miller aims to 'change the whole chemistry' of Cowboys defense through leadership

At 37 years old now and on his fifth NFL team over a career entering its 16th year, linebacker Von Miller made one thing perfectly clear Tuesday at his introductory press conference at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif. "I can still play football." But as the eight-time Pro Bowler went on to explain, that's only part of the reason he was brought to Dallas. "You can say what you want to say about my play on the field and what I've got left. But when it comes to being a great teammate, if there was a Hall of Fame for that, I'm going in the Hall of Fame, first ballot," Miller told reporters. As it is, Miller is actually two full years younger than one of this year's enshrinees in the real Hall of Fame (Luke Kuechly). But the Texas native walks into the Cowboys locker room the second-oldest player on the current roster, with punter Bryan Anger beating him by just six months. Miller warns not to let the date on his driver's license overshadow the kind of difference he believes he can make, though, whether or not he's in the huddle. "I can contribute 10 or 15 plays- that's without even being on the field. You've got a game that you play 50 snaps, 60 snaps, something like that: I can win 10 to 15 of those without me even being on the field, without my play, just by my knowledge of the game and getting everybody else to play at a level they wouldn't normally play at." First-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker has early buy-in from the team, to be sure, but half of his unit's players were playing somewhere else a season ago. It's a green and cobbled-together crew. Miller immediately steps into a leadership role, a two-time Super Bowl champ who knows what it takes to get back there and can show others how. Despite all the accolades and the sack numbers that have him just outside the all-time top 10, Miller says his real superpower is connecting with his teammates on an individual level. "It only takes one thing for me for us to be friends. We don't have to be from the same spot or like the same color," he said. "I lead with love first. I like to really learn my teammates, whether it's where they come from, how many they kids they've got, what food [do they like]? Do they hunt? Fish? Whatever it is," he continued. "And you just plant little seeds and pull those strings to really get it going. Football is such a unique sport because we get one game to go out there and play. It's not like championship basketball, where you win the best out of seven games. If you can get guys to play at a certain level for that three hours on Sunday, whether the team is better than us or we're better than the other team, magical things happen." It's something Miller says he learned by being the younger guy, getting mentored by the likes of Peyton Manning or Champ Bailey or DeMarcus Ware or Andrew Whitworth. Now he relishes setting the example for the next generation of Dallas defenders, singling out Cowboys second-year man Donovan Ezeiruaku, who he says he's already developed a bond with. "I've always had a young guy that I took a liking to," Miller explained. "Whether it's the defensive coordinator, defensive line, young guys... I can contribute in so many different ways to win games. And that's not even talking about the type of player that I still believe that I am." Of course, that will matter greatly, too. Miller tallied nine sacks last year in limited action for the Commanders, a total that would have led all Cowboys. During his offseason PR campaign to join the team, Miller famously boasted that he could "roll out of bed" and almost match that. But he maintains that's only a part of what he'll bring to the table for a young and still-gelling group in his hometown of Dallas that suddenly has sky-high potential... and rising expectations. "I really love football. I really coming to the locker room. I really love everything about playing football, knowing the guys," Miller said. "I plant those seeds with everybody. That's just who I am, and I feel like that's my worth on the team. My contract is for me to be on the team. Anything that I do on the football field- if I go out there and get 15 sacks- I'm underpaid for that. My love for the game is why I'm here: my love to help guys improve and help the whole organization improve and really just be that drop of oil in the water that changes the whole chemistry. That's what I take pride in." "The football stuff? That'll take care of itself. Like I said, I can roll out of bed and make some stuff happen." Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Von Miller aims to 'change the whole chemistry' of Cowboys defense through leadership