Von Miller admits he could focus more on football, less on learning weird stuff

Reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller spends a lot of time on the internet. Maybe too much, even.

Kevin Clark of The Ringer published a fascinating feature on Miller this week entitled “The Best Player in the NFL is Also the Weirdest.” And let me tell you, it provides some insight into just how strange of a guy the Broncos linebacker is.

Miller, who is a part-time chicken farmer after learning about it at Texas A&M, is very intrigued by human evolution. He told Clark he believes there will be no such thing as freckles or red hair within 5,000 years. He also predicts that everyone will be bald, since losing hair “helps us cool our brains faster.” As humans become smarter, Miller believes they will require less hair on their heads.

And that’s not all Miller is into. He also spends a ton of time researching extinct animals on the internet. Allow Clark to explain:

“I spend a lot of time looking up extinct animals,” he says. Miller describes this chain of events as though spending hours learning about Haast’s eagle was a highlight of his offseason. He’s particularly fascinated by the moa going extinct so quickly. It took only 100 years, he says. “That is so super fast. It normally takes at least 1,000 years. But that’s what happens. Humans hunted the moa to extinction, and the Haast’s eagle went extinct right after because that’s what he ate.” (Dinosaurs are not a part of Miller’s fascination with the extinction process because “everyone already talks about them.”)

You might find yourself wondering how Miller is so good at football if he spends his free time learning about obscure animals and tending to his chicken farm. The truth is, the man the Broncos just gave $70 million guaranteed to is aware he could be even better if he got his nose out of his computer and into the playbook. He did that during the playoffs, and we all saw the results.

Miller admits he’s thought about changing his habits and focusing more on football after hours. During the playoffs, he dialed back his internet usage and ignored social media, and he had the run of his life. “Maybe this season I should try that every single week,” he says.

Anyone who has paid attention to Miller’s career knows he is a strange individual. Heck, just look at one of the sack dances he busted out last season. Having said that, it’s clear we really don’t know the half of it.