This season, Buffalo Bills LB Von Miller has begun donning distinctive jerseys each week during pregame warmups, the majority depicting significant personalities and events in the history of the Buffalo organization. Miller is acting differently this time. Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs, who is his all-time favorite player, is being honored by the man wearing the T-shirt.
Prior to the game, Miller gave a brief interview about why he enjoys traveling to play at Arrowhead Stadium and how he remembers Thomas each time he steps onto the field there.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Arrowhead Stadium,” Miller said. “Derrick Thomas is my favorite player to ever play the game. I molded my game after him. He was the reason why I wore No. 58 in Denver. So every time I am on the field and I’m warming up, I look for that 58 that’s on the Ring of Honor and just give him a moment and give him a moment of silence and give him my energy because I want to continue to try to play the game the way he played it. Arrowhead Stadium has always been a special place for me.”
Thomas has 126.5 career sacks before his untimely death in 2000, making him the Chiefs’ franchise leader in that category. Since he was playing college football at Texas A&M, Miller has been analyzing Hall of Famer’s game, and it has just gotten more intense as he has progressed through the NFL. He continues to model his game after an all-timer like Thomas after 12 seasons as a student of the game.
