DE Myles Garrett (9.8.23)
How ready are you to actually get out on the field. Kind of show people what this defense looks like?
“We’re chomping at the bit, man. We haven’t all in together on the field yet. So to have this opportunity to really showcase what we can do and our talents and how hard we’ve been working. We’re ready for the opportunity.”
How important is to have that fun attitude come around this locker room?
“I mean, regardless of anything that happens, you’ve got to remember the number one rule of this thing is to have fun. You just want to enjoy the game. That’s how you get the most out of it.”
Myles, Jim Schwartz’s told us he is not everybody’s cup and tea. Is he yours? Can you just speak to the evolution of you guy’s relationship as you guys get ready?
“He talks like this big, bad guy. Schwartz is a good guy. I like Schwartz a lot. Nobody brings to this team the kind of mentality he brings. Just every day, coming to the building, on a practice field, keeping guy’s focused and getting the most out of us. That’s big for us because you can’t have any drop-off. At the end of the day, he expects a lot. We have a lot within us that we can show and put on the field.”
What is it about you facing the Bengals, you’ve got 11 career sacks. You’ve sacked Joe (Burrow) I know you treat every game importantly, but it seems you’re always at your best when you play Cincinnati.
“Sometimes you just catch fire at the right times. I guess it’s just against them. But I’ve also been very blessed to have a good amount of help across the board. To have this fantastic staff, where it’s not just me. We’ve had success team wise as far as the defense and on the record. But we got to continue doing those things to slow those guys down. They have a lot of great skill players that we’ve seen, and have highest paid player in the NFL, so we got to try to keep him off the board as much as possible.”
When he’s asked about the Browns he, Joe Burrow, you’re the first thing he mentioned. So do you think you’re like living in his head?
“I have no idea. I don’t know what’s in his head, but honestly, I have a lot of respect for him. Regardless of what he thinks of me or the team. He’s a heck of a player, and that contract goes to show. But he lives in the heads of a lot of players and a lot of teams across the league as far as what he can do and what he can really display on that field. So we have a lot of respect for him, and it feels good that he has respect for us.”
How much better is their offensive line? They’ve added Orlando Brown Jr.
“We don’t know yet. We got to see how they mesh together. They had a great addition in Orlando and his size, what he brings to the run game, what he brings to the pass game, and probably the leadership that he brings. I’m not particularly sure about the leadership aspect, but he’s a vet and he has a lot of years experience so seeing how he can turn that thing around. I’m looking forward to seeing him. I think we all are.”
Myles, you mentioned Joe Burrow’s contract. The other guy Nick Bosa, just became the highest paid defensive player ever. Do you pay attention to that stuff?
“Maybe my mother and my agent do but me, not particularly. I wouldn’t see the news unless it was placed right in front of me. I don’t worry about another man’s money or anything like that. He went out there and earned it. Got DPOY. He’s been balling lately. I’m wishing the best for him. I want to see great football be played by great football players and happy for him.”
Is that one of those things that for you personally you’ll just kind of wait till your next turn up?
“I’m not worried about when that happens. I want to do right by my teammates, and when we come to that time, when time for us to renegotiate or whatever we want to call it, then we’ll come to the table. But until then, keep on playing football at the highest level. Keep on playing game well with my teammates.”
You have some attainable milestones that would put you up there with like Reggie White or Demarcus Ware? When you hear those names what do you think?
“I just think about greatness. I don’t think I’m up there and I don’t like to think about it in that perspective. One game at a time, how I can help my team. And I think when you chase stats or anything like that, it starts to take your eyes away from the love of the game and really your camaraderie, your chemistry with the team. You don’t want to try to chase those things. Those aren’t always in line with the goals and the expectations of the team and being a good leader. So I think that’s a great company to be in if I’m there in the opinion of others, but I don’t look at that myself.”
If you’re not there, how do you get there?
“Continue what I’m doing and just keep on striving for greatness. I think there’s a mindset to that and I think that those guys would have that similar mindset. I think they were kind of walking on that path laid up by others and standing on the shoulders of giants. But I don’t think they were chasing anything in particular. They were doing what they do as it came naturally.”
I understand you guys take it one week at a time here, the fact that you’ve got all three division opponents in the first four weeks. Considering the expectations that you as a team have for yourselves and even some outside of the group, not everyone. But how important is it for you guys to get off to a fast start?
“Yeah, I mean, when you start off with so many division games like that, lined up, you want to be able to start fast and get ahead in your division. Those games count twice in most teams eyes and you want to be able to have a strong start, set the pace and get ahead of things. You don’t want to really break off even or behind. They really mean a lot towards the end of the season. So with all these meaningful games up front, you want to be able to win those and come across on the right side.”
On the offensive side. What are kind of the keys for you guys defensively?
“Slow them down. You know, you can’t stop completely. They have a lot of weapons, but do your best to be disruptive to Joe (Burrow). Get them out the pocket and make him use his feet, but don’t let him throw that ball downfield. And as far as those skill guys, just try to extend the play long enough where the rushers can rush and we can at least get them off balance, and hopefully you can make them throw us a couple.”
Ja’Marr Chase said yesterday something along the lines of Cleveland is Cleveland, which a lot of the fan base perceived as disrespect. Reminds me like the Juju Smith thing from a few years back, the Browns is the browns. Why do you guys take potshots at you guys like that?
“I was asking that myself yesterday. Why everybody want to talk about the Browns is the Browns and Cleveland is Cleveland? I don’t know what that means. My interpretation is that teams feel like the way the media looks at us is we’ve improved pretty much every year at least coming up. We’re trending in the right direction, and they don’t want to look at us any differently than any other team. But the way that some teams look at some of the more prolific teams like Kansas City or more of the historic teams like the Steelers, they’ll treat those games a little bit differently. And so it’s a little bit of a double edged sword. You want to keep those games the same, but with some other guys, you want to put them on a pedestal. There’s no right way to look at it, but it’s best to really just stay out of the situation, because it’s really bulletin board material as much as you try to dial it back.”
How do you feel about not being on the pedestal?
“I don’t care where I’m at. I just want to play ball. So I don’t really take offense to it, but I will say I do have a sack on Ja’Marr Chase. I wouldn’t mind adding to it.”
When he said, I almost called them the elves.
“See, now that was disrespectful. He didn’t have to go there. The elves part, he knew better. We might have to have a discussion before after the game, maybe during the game, but the elves part, little bit too far.”
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