DE Myles Garrett (1.8.21)
DE Myles Garrett:
On today’s practice:
“It was good. We needed at least a day under our belts to get everything refined and make sure we look sharp.”
On if there is a benefit to not practicing at this point of the season or if it is essential to be out there:
“Essential to be out there every time. You have to be able to see how the looks are, how everything times up and see if it is as effective as you think it is on paper.”
On the team’s preparedness for Sunday following a unique schedule this week:
“We still have another day to prepare. Today is not the last day of a preparation for us. We will still go into walkthrough tomorrow and the day after and make sure that we know everything we need pertaining to our roles and how we can be successful.”
On the team’s mindset heading into the game after facing adversity this week:
“Just win. You can’t have any other mentality. Anybody can be beat. It does not matter who you have up. You are paid to be a performer, no matter where you sit on the depth chart – first or third. You are paid because you are one of the best in the world at your job, and you need to step up and show that.”
On facing the Steelers and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in the postseason:
“It is a hell of a challenge. This is what we have all been looking forward to and I know I have been looking forward to it myself. The Steelers and the Browns have had history against each other so now, it is just up to us to step up to the plate. They have to show up and play just like we do. Nothing is being taken for granted and nothing is going to be given to them. Anything we get, we are going to have to take.”
On if Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and G Joel Bitonio being out can be a rallying cry to motive the team to rise to the occasion on Sunday:
“Like Stefanski has always said to us, you do not rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your preparation. The way we have prepared and gotten ourselves mentally ready, whether it is through Zoom or just working through it ourselves preparing at home physically on our own, it is just how you how you treat yourself and how you prepare as a pro. Nobody is going to sit here and tell you that we are counting ourselves out. These guys are hungry, and we are going to take it to them.”
On being named to the AP’s First-Team All-Pro:
“It is nice, but we have bigger things in front of us. I could not have done it without the guys on the line with me and the seven behind me. I am hoping that we can continue to be successful together because that is the only way this was even possible.”
On what he believes his first playoff game will feel like:
“It is going to be some excitement. It is going to be different from any other playoff game obviously because there are not many fans. It is going to be a weight off my shoulders really to finally get here. I am going to play like it is my last. It could be the very last opportunity I get. Not saying it will be because of our success, but you never know what is in your future. You never know what could happen in the world or to us individually or to our family. I am going to play like my hair is on fire and like I will never get another chance at it.”
On Steelers WR JuJu Smith Schuster’s comments yesterday about playing the Browns:
“No comment.”
On if he will do anything differently when preparing for his first playoff game on Sunday:
“Big players make those kind of plays on that stage. I feel like we have a lot of big time players who have shown themselves throughout the season. I have no doubt that they will do it this game. They are going to show up and be flying around the field and making those plays that I know they can make.”
On if he is still doing breathing treatments and how close is he to being back to 100 percent:
“Today at practice, I felt pretty good. I felt like I was flying around and I was moving well, and you will be able to see it on Sunday that I look like I did at the beginning of the season.”
On if there are any surprises when playing a team for the third time in a season:
“You can always mix it up. You can always change things. You are going to throw the kitchen sick at them now. You have already had two cracks at each other. No one just gives their all at the beginning with the potential to see them again. We are going to give them everything we have on offense and defense.”
On how much would it mean if CB Denzel Ward is available on Sunday:
“He is a hell of a player. Guys do not like to throw it his way, and he makes plays whether they are running to his side or throwing to his side. He is a threat at any time. Glad to see him come back if we get them back and hoping he feels good and prepared to be on the field and answer the bell when he is out there.”
On not getting a sack against the Steelers last week and if there is anything he can do differently this week after reviewing the game film:
“Of course, going back through watching film, they did some things differently. They were mixing up some looks on the offensive line, I guess to slow me down a little bit and to try to keep me off balance, whether it was things with tight ends or backs. It was a combination of looks. You work through it, especially after getting them back to back. It is nice to get another crack at them.”
On if the Browns have proven they are not the same team as past years:
“We will have to prove it when we see them on Sunday.”
On DE Olivier Vernon sustaining an Achilles injury last week:
“That is unfortunate. I hate to see him go down, especially like that. It was tough watching him on the ground like that, kind of knowing what had happened already. We have guys who are going to have to fill in the role and have guys who are going to step up – guys who have played before and guys who have made plays previously this season and wherever they have been, like AC (DE Adrian Clayborn) and now (DE) Porter (Gustin). Those guys are prepared to fill that spot and so am I.”
On it seeming like the deck has been stacked against the Browns this week with the obstacles the team has faced and if he and the team embrace the ‘underdog role’ they are in now:
“We have been in that role all year. We have been in that role since I have been here. Nothing has changed. Our backs are against the wall, and we are going to fight out of it and fight off of it.”
# # #