Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller was off to one of the best starts by a defensive rookie in recent league history through the first 10 games of the 2011 season.
The Texas A&M product had 9.5 sacks in that span, but a broken thumb sustained in Week 12 against the San Diego Chargers severely limited his production down the stretch run of the season and during the Broncos' two playoff games. Miller had one sack in the game against the Chargers and only two more and seven tackles after that game.
Following a Jan. 16 surgery to remove pins from his thumb, Miller told The Denver Post on Monday that he's on his way toward a full recovery.
"It's about 85 percent right now," Miller said. "I'm 100 percent positive that when the season starts, I won't have any problems out of it."
Miller was forced to play with a heavy brace on his right hand after breaking his thumb, and Miller admitted that it was uncomfortable to play with such an obstruction on his hand.
"It was already hard enough playing football with two hands, so playing football with 1 1/2 hands was pretty tough," Miller said, while adding he could play without the brace now if he had to. "I had a great season last year with the cast on."
