'He's still as good as he's ever been': Von Miller in Browns' thoughts as they face Bills
BEREA — Jacoby Brissett is a starting quarterback in the NFL. That means, as a rule, he has to be aware of who on the opposing defense he's most likely to have to regularly try to avoid trying to bring him down.
Pass rushers come in all shapes and sizes. Few have been as disruptive over their careers as Von Miller.
Miller is the focal point of the Buffalo Bills defense Brissett and the Browns will see Sunday at Detroit's Ford Field. As Brissett is prepping to face that defense, is he pulling from cards full of notes from past experiences against the talented edge rusher?
"Not necessarily," Brissett said Friday. "I mean, you just obviously know, like, going into a game plan who you have to be leery of, and, obviously, base your game plan around those guys. He's one of those guys you gotta base your game plan, your protections and everything around because of the things he can do and what he can do to a game."
Buffalo signed Miller as a free agent this past offseason after he won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, who acquired him in a mid-season trade last year from the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2011 draft, the Denver Broncos. He signed a six-year contract with the Bills on March 16 worth $120 million.
Miller has played up to his deal, and his reputation. He recorded eight sacks, which is tied for sixth in the league, 10 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits through Buffalo's first nine games.
It's not just Brissett, though, who'll be well aware of where No. 40 is on every snap Sunday. The ones blocking for him will be as well, and they see the same player who has been a three-time All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl MVP.
"He’s still as good as he’s ever been, and it’s a great challenge," right tackle Jack Conklin said. "I love playing against him. It’s tough every time, but these are the games you come to the NFL for."
Miller has played five games in his career against the Browns, all while with the Broncos. He's recorded 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and five quarterback hits in those games.
Miller is coming off a game in the Bills' 33-30 overtime loss to Minnesota in which he sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins once and hit him two other times. He also had a tackle for loss.
A pair of second-round picks — A.J. Espenesa (2020) and Boogie Basham (2021) — also have at least two sacks for the Bills, who are tied for seventh in the league with 27 as a team. Espenesa has 3.5 sacks and Basham has two.
"He's kinda I think put a little life in their pass rush and he's kind of the leader up front, but they got good rushers over there," left guard Joel Bitonio said. "A lot of first round picks over there and a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, but they don't have to blitz too much, they don't have to do too much like that. They use four guys a lot to rush a quarterback and they've been pressuring the quarterbacks pretty well. Kirk Cousins put up some good numbers but he was getting pressured quite a bit last week, and I think Von leads that off."
Greg Rousseau, a first-round draft pick in 2021, is second to Miller on the Bills with five sacks. However, he was ruled out for Sunday's game with a high ankle sprain he sustained in a Week 9 loss to the New York Jets.
Brissett has been sacked 19 times over the Browns' first nine games, including 13 of those in a three-game stretch against the Los Angeles Chargers (four sacks), New England Patriots (four) and Baltimore Ravens (five). Only eight teams have allowed fewer sacks in the league.
Miller, in two career games against Brissett, has 1.5 sacks. Those all came in a 15-13 Indianapolis win on Oct. 27, 2019.
"I think everything has been his athletic ability on the edge," Brissett said. "His speed and the things he's been able to do on the edge at that size and obviously going against the guys that he's going against, always creating an edge for him to be able to move way better than those other guys. Obviously one of the more skilled pass-rushers to ever play this game."
Chase Winovich off, Michael Dunn onto injured reserve
The Browns swapped players on the injured reserve list on Saturday. They activated defensive end Chase Winovich from the list, while placing offensive lineman Michael Dunn on the list.
Winovich was designated for return from the list on Nov. 7, but was not activated for the game in Miami. He had been on IR since Sept. 20, after having suffered a hamstring injury two days earlier in the Week 2 loss to the Jets.
Dunn has been sidelined since just before the Miami game with a back injury. He had appeared in the first eight games as an extra tight end in the Browns' heavy packages.
Jermaine Carter Jr., Mike Brown elevated to gameday roster
The Browns elevated two players off the practice squad to the gameday roster on Saturday before departing for Detroit. They brought up linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. and safety Mike Brown to help against the Bills.
Carter appeared in last week's game in Miami, his 66th career NFL game. Brown was signed to the Browns' practice squad on Oct. 25, but had not been elevated to the roster since then.
Snow a concern no more for Cade York this week
Cade York had never kicked in the snow coming into his rookie season with the Browns. Growing up in Texas and playing collegiately in the SEC at LSU, it wasn't something that regularly was an issue.
So, when Sunday's game was still scheduled to be played in Orchard Park, N.Y., there was a concern about the impact the massive snowstorm that hit the Greater Buffalo at the end of the week would have on York. It was something special teams coach Mike Priefer said on Thursday was a topic of conversation with the young kicker, with punter Corey Bojorquez — who played for the Bills — offering tips from his own experiences.
Those concerns, though, went out the window when the decision was made to move the game to Detroit. At that point, all of the weather concerns went out the window.
"I mean, it's a dome," York said of the venue change. "I was ready for it. I've been kicking in the cold this week. So not really an issue. It would have been fun to kick in the snow, I've never done that before so would like to get that out of the way. Other than that, it only had to do with traveling."
Contact Chris at ceasterling@theabeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns players are focused on where Von Miller is on the Bills defense
