DE Myles Garrett (10.30.20)
DE Myles Garrett:
On how his ankle is feeling:
“It is doing alright. I am getting old so just trying to take my time when I can (laughter).”
On if he tweaked his ankle on Sunday or if it has been lingering for a while:
“It happened leading up to the game and the same kind of thing happened during the game. I tweaked it twice so I just needed some time to get right.”
On the Raiders OL:
“They are big. Those guys are big. They are committed to their blocks and ready to take on their guy. They know they will win the game for him if he [Raiders QB Derek Carr] has some time. We have to make sure we get them off balance, move laterally and kind of get him off the spot and get them moving.”
On his week of practice and if he will be his normal self on Sunday:
“Should be about normal. Doing the best that I can and going out there and making the plays that I am supposed to make. For what is in the forecast, I will probably be doing a little bit more run stopping than pass rushing. Whatever happens, I will be ready for it.”
On if he likes playing in muddy games:
“I like playing the game. When I was growing up, it was muddy, it was rainy and it was hot. We faced everything so it is no different at this level.”
On how much it means to him that people are starting to realize that he is one of the better players at his position in the NFL, following his AFC Defensive Player of the Month award:
“I appreciate it. The recognition is nice but can’t let it get to me or allow me to get passive or hypothetic about what is going on. I have to stay passionate about the performance that the entire defense is putting out there and not just me and not settle with what I have going on right now.”
On if he needs help from other Browns players for the pass rush to be what it needs to be:
“If it is not what it is supposed to be, then we just have to do better. I have to do better. I have to win my one on ones quicker. I have to beat whoever I have to beat to get pressure on them. That is on us who is called upon. We can’t be asking for anybody else. We can’t be complaining about the scheme. We just have to find a way to make it happen. The four guys or the six guys, whoever we switch in, is on call to do the job, and we have to do it.”
On if the part of the Browns defense’s need to get off the field quicker falls on the pass rush:
“Everybody. It is a symbiotic relationship. They are going to go max-pro, they are going to chip and they are going to double up on a couple of people so we have to win our one on ones. Counter to that, they have to stay with their guys long enough for us to get home. We are going to try to work off each other. They work fast and they work well, then we do the same thing and great things happen.”
On Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden comment about wishing he was on the Raiders:
“I have been to Las Vegas a couple of times. It is not my scene. Can be fun for a day or two. It is a lot of respect paid in that comment, and I appreciate it. He is a hell of a coach, and he is a winner. That goes a long way, but still going to do my best out there to make his day as long as possible.”‘
On Carr’s performance this year:
“He has a hell of a target in (Raiders WR Henry) Ruggs III and (Raiders TE Darren) Waller. He can dump it off to him, and those guys can make plays on any part of the field. Their running game is working very well so not just having to rely on him making plays through the air. It is a good balance, like we have been doing this year with our offense. Shutting down the run will make him make some tougher throws than he has had to this year. Just have to make it hard on them.”
On Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and Jacobs being considered one of the top NFL RBs:
“He is. He is a very talented back. He can make plays. That is the bottom line. We are going to have to watch out for him. He is a big O line blocking for him. He can get lost looking for him on one side and he jumps into the other side. Just make sure we have good gap integrity and be where we are supposed to be, forcing him to the spots where we want him.”
On how much sloppy weather can slow down pass rushers:
“It is tough. Sometimes when you are bending the edge or you are trying to send the edge and you are sliding or you are gliding all over the place, but you just keep on rushing. You can’t really change up your rush plan, unless it is completely muddy out there and you can’t bend the edge and then you just have to be able to find a way and make a way.”
On how meaningful is it for the Browns to donate $350,000 to the East Cleveland City School District to address the digital divide:
“It is a big step in the right direction, trying to get them all on equal standing as their peers around Cleveland and around Ohio. Allowing them to be able to learn and educate themselves from home, which is big right now, and just giving the necessities and the resources that they need is priceless. We are trying to take the right steps and do what we can to do that for them. This is just one step for us. I know we are going to try and do more in later months and the years to come. This is our city.”
On he watched Rams DT Aaron Donald on Monday Night Football as it relates to NFL sack totals:
“It was a premier matchup with Aaron Donald and (Bears OLB) Khalil (Mack) on the same field so I watched both of them. These guys are both two who are at the top of the game. Just trying to watch and learn a little bit. You can always learn from another guy, especially those two who have been doing it well for so long. Just take what I can from their game and give credit where it is due. Two very talented players, and hope to be among them and regarded in the same league.”
On his four forced fumbles this season and if his success is due to a change in technique or mentality:
“It is a mental thing. This offseason having so much time because of COVID and everything that has happened, just working on getting the ball out. The ball is everything. It is quick to turn the game around if you take the ball away from them, especially on a short field and get points on the board for us. That really changes the momentum in our favor and leads to Ws in the column.”
On how much he will miss WR Odell Beckham Jr.’s energy and if he feels he will have to bring more energy to compensate for Beckham not being around:
“I will definitely miss him because he is a passionate player. He is a hell of a player. We just have to pick up where he left off. Someone has to step up and be a threat for us in the wide receiver room, which I know they can. That energy, I think guys can make up for that. You can’t make up for him as a player or as a person, but we have to do it together.”
On being labeled as a player with Pro Football Hall of Fame talent and the appreciation he has for Beckham as players who are at the top of the league for their positions and if that is how he views Beckham:
“I do. He has proven that he has talent that is among the very best. It is hard to say Hall of Fame talent for anyone unless they are done, finished and they are in that conversation. I think he has potential and he has the ability. This is one setback. It is not going to change his trajectory. He is going to come back, and I feel like he is going to come back the way AP (Lions RB Adrian Peterson) did and get his revenge tour.”
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