DE Myles Garrett (10.9.20)
DE Myles Garrett:
On his relationship with DT Sheldon Richardson and how the two motivate each other, referencing a video of the two of them talking during the Washington game:
“He wants to be great, and I want to be the greatest. He is not going to back down towards me at all and I have a standard to set for myself so I am always going to try to reach and exceed that. Anytime I feel like someone is trying to pass me up, I am going to step up above and beyond.”
On if Richardson gets ‘under his skin at all when telling him he is done getting sacks for the day’:
“I would not say get under my skin, but I love the negative energy and the doubt, especially coming from him. I know it is coming in a playful manner, but in a way, I take it personal.”
On if Richardson has any claim to a half-sack when he tackled Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins by the shirt tail:
“He was already going down in my eyes. I think he probably kept him from going forward because he knew he was going to get hit, if he reached forward instead of going to the side, but I do not think he got enough of taking him down to have a half-sack. He definitely changed his direction so if he did not do that, it might have not been a sack at all.”
On being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week:
“It is something they should have done already by now, but whenever you start picking up traction, just do not lose it. Now I am just trying to keep the momentum, and we are trying to build off of that as a defense.”
On how long he can keep his strip-sack streak going:
“As long as I can keep it going. As long as I have a chance to get some one on ones and rush the passer but we have to earn the right by stopping each team’s running attack, and the Colts have some talented running backs.”
On defensive coordinator Joe Woods calling him a ‘flamethrower’ yesterday and if he has ever been referred to by that name:
“That is a new one. I am not even sure what that means (laughter).”
On if there are any key points of emphasizes that has helped lead to his strip-sacks in three consecutive games:
“I have some guys around me that allow me to get one on ones, coaching that is allowing us to attack some of the weaknesses, attack them and go straight on them when I want to, beat them inside or run games depending on what we are seeing. They are responsive to that and what they are doing so we are able to adjust accordingly. With them hearing our voice and doing what we see fit, that is kind of working in our favor up to now so now we just try to keep the momentum.”
On how to adjust his game to have the same impact against Colts QB Philip Rivers, who has been getting the ball out quickly and has surrendered among the fewest sacked of all QBs in the NFL this year:
“If you are a great player, you do not want to be defined by only doing one thing great, unless you are (former NFL wide receiver/return specialist) Devin Hester. You want to be able to be disruptive on each phase. If they are going to run the ball, then that means I have to set the edge, make the plays that come to me and make sure they have back to where my other guys are. When the ball comes to me, I have to make sure I try to punch it out and rip it out and I get the ball for our offense. If they are going to go make it a screen game or a short game, make sure we tackle it short and do not let them get any YAC or make sure we kill the screens as a defensive line, knowing that it is a behind-the-line pass and know we should be eating that up, a good sign of it turning that back to us. If we do all that right, he is going to have to start opening up and throwing it down the field. Otherwise, they are going to be behind.”
On lining up in different spots on the DL this season has helped his game:
“Gives me a chance to attack everybody. Nobody is getting a chance to go against the same person every time. I am getting into the right tackle, left tackle or whoever I see fit and give them a different taste on what they are used it and give the defense advantage. I know guys are used to seeing DTs on Sheldon and (DT) Larry (Ogunjobi) that are kind of power rusher or Sheldon is a little bit more finesse, but I think you have a little bit more quickness than them and then I have a lot of suddenness and more strength than they will give me credit for.”
On if he has every played better than he is now:
“Have I ever played better? I had nine sacks in high school in one game, if that counts.”
On nine sacks in one game being a little bit better than his recent production:
“If I do that, then I really hope I get that [AFC Defensive Player of the Week] award (laughter).”
On how much he embraces the role and responsibility of making game-sealing and game-changing plays at key moments, given Woods’ comments earlier this week:
“I am glad he has his faith in me, if he is calling on me to make a play. I am trying to answer that call every time I go out on the field. Not just down the stretch, it is every time, and it is hard. The second half, they really keyed in on me and they were trying to take me out the game with chips – tight end chips and running back chips – and doubles. They were really doing their best to keep me from ruining their gameplan. Once a team does that, just have to find the best way to get me going, whether that is getting those other guys those one on ones or moving me around to find a position where they are not going to double team me.”
On who decides where he will line up on the DL during a game:
“Sometimes coaches come up to me like, ‘Hey, we want you on the right guard this down’ or ‘We want you on the left guard.’ I am like, ‘Alright, let’s go out there. I will go from left to right guard.’ Then I see they stop chipping and then sometimes move back out to left end. Sometimes I go to coach – I am prideful – so I am like, ‘Hey I have not seen (Cowboys T) Tyron (Smith) but once this game. I want to go against him a little bit more,’ so I will play a couple downs over there. Then we will switch up the call, and I am back inside or back to the other edge. It just depends. Usually, I will get the call that I am supposed to go somewhere else, but some of the time, I get to pick and choose who I get to attack.”
On if the plan going into the game at Dallas was to line up against Cowboys T Terence Steele, given his early success against Steele:
“I have been playing left end. OV (DE Olivier Vernon) has been playing right. Just attacking those matchups as they come. When third down comes, I could be anywhere. That is the beauty of it. I can play any position on the line and be able to attack whoever they have a weakness with.”
On why he did not line up at left end as much earlier in his career:
“It was not my choice.”
On the story behind the t-shirt he is wearing today that featured a heart and the letters ‘McD’ on it:
“Bridget (McDevitt). She suffers from an illness, a major illness. Just wanted to bring a little light to her and show that we care. As a person first, I care about how everybody is doing around here not just on the team but staff, their family and the organization.”
[This past offseason, Bridget McDevitt was diagnosed with and is bravely continuing her fight with Grade 3 neuroendocrine cancer. McDevitt is married to Ted Tywang, who is the Browns Vice President, General Counsel. The couple has two young daughters, Frankie and Ramona, both of whom were born in Cleveland. They joined the Browns family in 2016 after moving to Ohio from New York City.]
On if many Browns players are wearing the t-shirts to honor McDevitt:
“We have been doing it, not just today. It has been the last couple of weeks I have seen people wearing this shirt. We have not done anything collectively as in wearing it all on one day, but I see guys wearing it throughout the week and just putting it on and showing that they care, showing that they appreciate the families and what they are going through.”
On if wearing the shirt is a way to show support of people in the Browns organization, even when they may not be able to be together due to COVID-19 protocols:
“That is just part of being a person and showing compassion.”
On if the 12,000 fans expected to be at FirstEnergy Stadium will have an impact on Sunday’s game:
“[The Colts] might go silent count. Have to make sure I watch the ball and make sure I try and get a good read off of it and not try to key off of anything they are saying. Just pay attention to the details.”
On DT Larry Ogunjobi being out for Sunday’s game:
“He is tough so I know he is going through a lot with his oblique if he is out right now. I definitely do not like seeing him out because he is a hell of a run defender and a powerful man to stop on passing downs. We will miss him, but we have guys who are going to try to fill in the role as best as they can and try and do what they do best, not try to be him or do the job that he is doing. Just do what you are supposed to and do it to the best of their ability. I know they can do that.”
On the opportunity for the Browns to get to 4-1 for the first time since 1994:
“Just have to achieve our goal of 1-0. Just taking it one week at a time. They are a tough team and we are a tough team. We just have to duke it out and see who executes better and who is tougher on that given day.”
On what the Browns learned about their defensive identity during the win at Dallas:
“We have some execution errors we need to clean up, but when we play complementary, like we went to close the game, we can bust it wide open. We play off of each other. That kind of momentum, getting the strip-sack and (S Andrew) Sendejo builds off of that and we get another forced fumble, and the offense capitalizes off of that. If we just play off of each other like that, we are hard to stop. We have to realize that and keep on using that in our favor.”
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