DE Myles Garrett (11.17.23)
You guys have had a lot of injuries to the offensive side of the ball. What do you guys have to do as a defense going forward to keep this playoff chase rolling along?
“Same thing we’ve been doing, finding a way to win, continue to stay consistent in our studies, growing together as a team and working as hard as we can during the week to improve on any blemishes or mistakes we make the week before. And we’ve been doing those things. Just got to put it on the field.”
You guys have gotten to this point with a lot of quarterback uncertainty, quarterbacks in and out due to injuries. Does that give you confidence that you can keep doing what you’ve been doing and still be successful?
“What gives you confidence is the guys putting in work every single day from every position, quarterbacks in the front to the back and the guys beside you. Everyone is bringing each other along.”
I know Jim (Schwartz) talked about yesterday that he felt like as you guys were coming back against the Ravens, he felt the tenacity on the defense, that level that you maybe hadn’t reached yet as a group. Do you feel that was that something that was tangible when you were out there?
“That was a bit more of a positive reaction or a confident reaction than we had when we had that turnover in Seattle, it was more of a like, let’s go do our job when the mission’s not over, when the job is not finished. We had to take that loss to Seattle to grow and mature and to kind of make the plays that we made to win the game against Baltimore.”
They had kind of reduced your snaps, right? Jim (Schwartz) said he wanted to take a little load off you earlier this even, but then against Baltimore, it was almost every snap. So would you prefer it like that? And do you think they kind of like saved you for, Jim (Schwartz) said that they kind of saved you for the biggest moment, biggest game?
“I don’t know, man. I’m getting old, so it’s a matter of when they call, I’ll pick up the phone, but they just don’t need me as much anymore. Really. It’s up to them. I’m going to be on the field as much as possible, and if there’s a big moment, if I can sense, like, the momentum shifting, whether shifting towards them or we’re going to steal the game and put it away. I want to be on the field. I’m going to go out there and take charge. But as far as things are still kind of weighing in the balance, I think it’s smart to allow them to kind of manage things and regulate the reps so that down the stretch I’m still working at full capacity.”
Myles, does Pittsburgh chip and get more physical with you than maybe some other team?
“Yeah, they do.”
I guess. When you go into a game knowing that’s how it’s going to be, how do you approach that?
“Sure, I got to get more physical with them. Got to find a way. If they’re going to throw the kitchen sink at me, we got to throw the fridge back. I guess.”
They chip you more, like they run more backs at you, more tight ends, everything?
“Just everything. I mean, sometimes they’ll have the tight end, they’ll follow me wherever I go, back to wherever I go. I’ll slide my way. They’re trying to get the tight end on the formation or they’re trying to get the back, or just try to make sure I’m not going one on one as much as possible.”
Myles, you and TJ (Watt) have made so many game-changing plays this year. We haven’t had a defensive player win MVP, not defensive player MVP since the 80s. Why do you think that’s been the case and it’s just so quarterback centric now?
“Because you all love touchdowns. That’s it. People love high scores and big games from offensive guys. It’s not a fun game if a defensive guy goes off for two, three, four sacks and the is score twelve to six or twelve to seven. That’s not what people want to watch anymore. But I think things can shift. I think you can have guys who kind of separate themselves or making different kinds of plays also doing things on special teams and on offense. I still think that JJ (Watt) should have won it back when he had that tremendous year. I think defensive guys should get just as much consideration.”
Myles, the Browns are going to work out Joe Flacco today. I know you have confidence in the quarterbacks that are in the room right now. What could be adding a guy like that who’s kind of been there, done that?
“Maturity and experience. Wisdom. I mean as much as Deshaun (Watson) has played, Flacco’s seen more, he’s been to the highest level. He can provide that little bit of a mentor role even if he doesn’t see the field being there and being a consistent leader.”
Have you seen a difference in DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) this week than whatever six weeks ago when he wound up getting that first start?
“It jumps on you so quickly, especially with him not knowing what was going to happen. He’s always been the same guy. Always been focused, been about his work. Now he’s been there, the worst has happened.”
Pittsburgh’s so good of late in games on both sides of the ball, but when you look at that offense, I think they’ve been outgained in every game this year, but they’re 6-0 in one score games. Are they doing something different besides just the results being better for them in the fourth quarter offensively, when you watch them and study?
“They play harder for longer, they know how to finish on the stretch. Sometimes teams just stop the gaps a little bit and later in the third and fourth quarter, that’s when they really turn it up.”
As the season’s gone on and you faced more teams who have seen this new scheme you guys are playing, have you noticed a difference in how teams are handling you specifically and your guys’ front as a whole compared to maybe previously?
“The Tennessee thing was pretty fun. I think it’s guys making sure that I never know what’s coming next. A lineman, a tight end on side on me. Sometimes he chips, sometimes he doesn’t. Half back chips, chipping through the middle. If I have a common three-tipping if I’m coming through the middle then they chip me there. Just a lot, trying to make me uncomfortable, so I slowed down a little bit and it’s just turned up to another level.”
What do you think it would mean to be Baltimore and Pittsburgh back-to-back, especially given everything you guys are going through without your starting tackles, without Deshaun (Watson) now?
“That’d be great. You just want to go 1-0. At the end of the day for us, we’re trying to get to the point where doesn’t matter who’s in front of us and we’re looking forward to doing the work and being the same people regardless of what we’re facing on Sunday.”
When you look at even just what happened last night with Joe Burrow, Mark Andrews, does that show you guys that no know what happens, you just have to stay laser-focused on your own goals because anything can happen, right?
“Anything can happen. Definitely prayer for those guys that they’re doing well, and they come back, but you never know what happened on any other team. Injuries, record-wise. You could lose late, two minute, whatever it is. But you have to continue to focus on yourself and how you can continue to improve and win the game you’re supposed to win as long as you have your destiny in your hands, you control it. Don’t allow it to get to the point where someone else winning or losing dictates your faith.”
From a football standpoint, from an NFL standpoint, going into this week it was so exciting about AFC North and the big games and everything. I mean how unfortunate it is to come out of this week with Deshaun (Watson) now out of the picture and who knows what’s going on with Joe Burrow to
“Look at it as an opportunity. This is something that no one expected, and no one wanted. But as far as a script for a movie to find a way to win when one of our best players out, two of our best players out, both tackles out. Continue to find a way and find success. That’ll tell the story of a team that’s resilient and will fight through anything.”
What’s your favorite thing about Dalvin (Tomlinson)? What if he added to that D line room?
“Dalvin is the same person every single day, works his ass. He likes to have fun but he always expects more of himself. That always inspires us. We don’t want to see him getting double-team all the time. We want to continue to win across the board so that when he gets free he’s able to make plays himself and then he’s one of the best run-stoppers in the league. Far in the middle, guys can’t move him and he gets off the ball with the best.”
With Mark Andrews didn’t hurt last night, there’s renewed attention. How tough is it for you guys in those moments, it seems like they’re trying to legislate at times the laws of business. You have to deal with it with the quarterback and stuff like that. If they add another rule in there, just how much more did that make your lives difficult?
“I mean, can’t just continue to take tackling out the game. Targeting is one thing. Leading with your head, that can injure you or your opponent. That’s something that’s just not smart. There’s too much data on that for us to be remiss and not take it out of the game, that’s understandable. But when the quarterback is definitely not landing on him and with the hip drop, just to get there is tough enough and now you have to get there. Thinking about I got to get the ball out. When I get the ball, I got to turn. I got to make sure I stay up. When I get to him, I got to wrap him up. But if he’s going this way and I’m going this way, I got to make sure I don’t drop my hip. I got to turn. I’m trying to slow down his momentum, so he doesn’t get into the end zone. So, my hip is going to drop. So, I don’t think he had any intentions to harm him. One force going that way, his force going that way. He’s going to the ground to stop his momentum. It’s part of the game and it’s unfortunate, but that part of the game is probably never going to change.”
When you’re hitting a quarterback, he just gets the ball out, just before you arrive. What goes through your mind as that contact is taking place? Are you thinking I can’t land on him now because I might get a foot? Just what goes through your mind when you hit a quarterback after he’s gotten that ball out?
“Half the time I kind of like pull up because I don’t want to get the penalty. I think they’re very sensitive about those. And other times I think I hit him, try to get my shoulder, but I try not to go to the ground unless I believe he’s got the ball. Other than that, I’ll just try to give him a shoulder or forearm and look where the ball went.”
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