Stokley: Liked Von Miller comments, but now he’s got to back them up

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller rocked the boat a tad on Tuesday, calling his shot and saying of the Arizona Cardinals, “We’re going to kick their ass.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a must-win (game). We’re going to kick their ass though. Make sure you put that up there, we’re going to kick their ass,” Miller told the media at UCHealth Training Center. “They’re going to get our best this week. Last week was tough, the week before that, whatever. This week, Thursday night, primetime, they’re going to get the Broncos best.”

Miller said he wasn’t “irritated” but rather “confident” in his and his teammates’ abilities, specifically rookie pass rusher Bradley Chubb.

“Like I said before, if we’re playing our best, I don’t think there’s anybody in the league that can block me and Bradley,” Miller said. “We’ve just got to go out there and play. Especially the Cardinals, they’re going to get our best on Thursday. They’ve got to come with their best.”

It was a welcomed change from Miller’s usual “happy-go-lucky” tone, said “Stokley and Zach” co-hosts Brandon Stokley and Zach Bye on Tuesday.

“I like that. Come out and make a big statement like that. Do something different,” Stokley said. “You know that’s going to be everywhere now. It’s going to be all over the place, which is great. Do it. Who cares? Make a statement. Take some pressure off the other guys. Have the focus be on you. Come out and do something different.”

But with that being said, Stokley and Bye believe Miller now has to go out and walk the walk after talking the talk.

“You can’t talk like that without backing it up,” Bye said.

Said Stokley: “You’ve got to back it up. Two days away. A lot at stake. There really is for a lot of people. But this Broncos season is still at stake. You can still salvage this season.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.