For as good a season as Von Miller and the Denver Broncos had, it sure ended with a thud.
Last weekend, Miller had to watch Houston defensive end J.J. Watt take defensive player of the year honors from him. Then, the Ravens, the team that upset the Broncos in the divisional round, won Super Bowl XLVII."I said earlier in the year, of course, I want to go out there and win a Super Bowl and be defensive player of the year or even MVP. All that stuff," Miller, the former DeSoto and Texas A&M star, said. "In my case, I'm hoping, if God allows it, that I have more opportunities to get it. It's the same thing on our team. We wanted to get to the Super Bowl this year. But I feel like everything works out like it's supposed to, and we have more opportunities to get there."The Broncos went into the playoffs as favorites, but they didn't make it past their first game.Miller had nine tackles, a half sack and two quarterback hits in the 38-35 overtime loss to the Ravens, but it wasn't enough. Joe Flacco threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones to tie the game 35-35 with 31 seconds remaining. The Ravens then used a Peyton Manning interception in overtime for a 47-yard Justin Tucker field goal.The sting remains for Miller."I don't think it'll wear off until we start winning again," Miller said. "That's how it should be. It should sting a little to motivate us this off-season."Miller, the defensive rookie of the year in 2011, finished his second season with 68 tackles, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and an interception. It was a great season, but not as great as Watt, who had 81 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 defensed passes and four forced fumbles.Miller said he would have voted for Watt, too, if he had been one of the 50 voters."I'm not disappointed at all," Miller said. "J.J. Watt is great. He's phenomenal. You really can't say anything negative about his game."He's big enough. He's fast enough. He's strong enough. He can play in and out. He has more pass deflections from his position than most corners and safeties. He's more than just a big, physical lineman. He really is a vital piece to a defense."Stadium might waitWhen North Texas began bidding for Super Bowl XLV, which it hosted in 2011, planners had visions that Cowboys Stadium would become a regular in the rotation.But after bad weather and a seating fiasco marred North Texas' first shot as host, the NFL has put the brakes on a return engagement."One of the things that [the Super Bowl committee] looks at is the weather, and the last thing they want is to have another Atlanta, if you recall that where we had the ice, and of course in Dallas where we had the ice," Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said at the Super Bowl. "That's going to make it more difficult for Dallas, just like it will make it more difficult for Atlanta or any other place that is farther north."We'll see. It very well may be that the committee decides it would be great to have two [Super Bowls] in Texas. We'd be very happy with that. We've got no problem with it at all."The NFL's Super Bowl Advisory Committee now invites cities to bid, a change in the process from when Cowboys Stadium was awarded Super Bowl XLV. NFL owners will award two more Super Bowls at their May meetings, deciding between cities selected by the committee.South Florida and the San Francisco Bay Area are competing to host Super Bowl L in 2016, and the loser will compete with Houston for the 2017 game. San Francisco, which will have a new stadium in Santa Clara, is the favorite for the 2016 game and Houston the favorite for 2017.Houston has hosted two Super Bowls, but its last came in 2004. The city previously was a finalist for Super Bowl XLIV, which went to Miami, and Super Bowl XLVI, which was played in Indianapolis."We've got it all," McNair said of Houston. "People outside the city just don't realize what we have. We've got to do a better job of selling that to the rest of the country."The Super Bowl will return to North Texas for one simple reason: Cowboys Stadium has more seats than any other NFL stadium. Super Bowl XLV was the most financially successful game in history.The question is: When? The NFL likely wouldn't put back-to-back Super Bowls in Texas, so the wait could end up being longer than Jerry Jones and local planners would like.Wilson's paydayRussell Wilson has outplayed his rookie contract.After only one season, when he passed for 3,118 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 100.0 passer rating while leading the Seahawks to the division round of the playoffs, Wilson deserves more money.But the Collective Bargaining Agreement, signed in 2011, mandates that a rookie contract cannot be altered in any way until after a player's third season. So Wilson will play the next two seasons for $527,000 and $662,000."I'm not worried about it at all," said Wilson, a third-round draft pick. "There was some report that said I demanded a new contract. I never did that. I know the rules. I know the new CBA, and I respect that. I respect the National Football League. I respect the NFLPA. I respect my teammates. I play the game because I love the game. I don't play the game for money. It is my job, and it helps pay my bills, but at the same time, I play the game because I love it."Wilson easily could have been offensive rookie of the year. Instead, the award went to Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who received 29 of the 50 votes. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was second with 11 votes, and Wilson finished third with 10."In the long run, it doesn't matter," Wilson said. "To have accolades is great, but at the same time, it isn't everything. My goal is to be the best one day."Charean Williams, 817-390-7760Twitter: @NFLCharean
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