DE Myles Garrett (11.29.24)
Myles, you just played on Thursday night, you play on Monday night with everybody watching. Do those games get a little extra juice?
“We go out there and play the same way every time we’re out there. Whether it’s prime time or not, we have the same expectations of ourselves and go out there and execute and win.”
Myles, why is it important for you to be considered the best defensive player?
“Because I think part of my journey of being the best player that I can be is — I feel and I think I can be the best player that there is currently. So, I have to live up to those expectations I have for myself. That’s really all it is. That’s just on the road to being the player that I want to be.”
Is it, like that reassures me that everybody else recognizes that, too? Whether it’s Defensive Player of the Year or just when you’re in that discussion as ‘he’s the guy’?
“I mean, I appreciate the thought, and that people will say that. From my peers or whoever else, but I’m just trying to accomplish the goals that I have for myself. It’s not stats and it’s not awards. It’s about going out there and just being dominant and disruptive and helping my team win. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most. All the other stuff will come along if that’s what’s on that path. If that blessing is out there for me, hopefully I get it along the way. But what we really want to do is win, that’s what we get remembered for.”
Myles, how special or meaningful will it be for you to reach 100 sacks and in the short timeframe in which you’re able to accomplish it?
“Well, I think I still took too long; in my eyes, when I look at it. It had been tough to catch Mr. (Reggie) White. I think hopefully this next, however many number, will come quicker than the first hundred, so we’ll go out there and do what I do and try to take it up a notch.”
When you look at Bo Nix, what challenges does he present you as a pass rusher?
“He’s elusive and he’s been moving the pocket for them. They’re giving him time to throw, and he’s making those throws down the field. He’s feeling a lot more comfortable week-to-week, and I want to get that pocket moving, and he’s able to use his feet to his advantage, he’s very talented.”
You joined a list last week of I think seven or eight guys that have had 10 plus sacks for seven seasons or whatever. I think it’s LT (Lawrence Taylor), Bruce Smith, one Hall of Famer after the next. Do you get a chance to reflect on that at all? I know you hope you have many more seasons ahead and bigger records ahead, but does that give you pause to kind of reflect on what kind of career you’ve had already?
“I think it’s a very neat stat. I know my dad was hyped about it, but I try to stay in the present. Right now, we got a game to win and hopefully, we keep on building upon that and there will be other records and accomplishments along the way, but we got to focus on how we can continue to take it up another antic.”
Did your dad point it out to you? Did he show it to you?
“Yeah, he after the game was happy and looking at the stats. But after I got home and went to bed, woke up, ‘How can we get on to the next one?’ We got another game to win, another prime-time game. We’ve got to put on a good performance. We got to execute just like we did or even better this last time and that’s what my mind is on and how we’re going to find our way into the playoffs.”
So when do you take time, if ever, to soak in the names that are on that list with you? I think it’s seven Hall of Famers and Jared Allen. I think the other guys, Reggie and (John) Randle and (DeMarcus) Ware, you know, Bruce and LT, like I mean that’s an unbelievable group of guys.
“Absolutely. All guys I looked up to when I started my journey into this game. So, it’s absolutely amazing to be amongst those guys. Not just looking up to them but looking side-to-side and standing amongst them. I want to continue to find myself on those lists and hopefully stand alone at the end of the day. The time for reflection is when the season is done.”
Along those lines, just seeing you last week, talking before the game and after the game about wanting to be the number one edge rusher, hearing you now say you want to be the best player. How have you gotten more comfortable in recent years expressing that and then living up to the big talk?
“I mean I said it early on, my beliefs and my goals for myself and I don’t think I’ve ever wavered from that. And that doesn’t take away any respect that I have for my peers and guys around the league and I can’t do it without all of the men in this locker room. This defense can be absolutely stellar. As long as we’re working together, all of us will do well and start to find ourselves on these all-time lists. But we have to continue to execute every play not just some of the time. And after that hopefully we’re all recognized.”
Myles, with you stating last week that you’re number one and the premier edge rusher, how important is it for you this season to defend your NFL Defensive Player of the Year title?
“I want to go to the playoffs. So how we can find ourselves winning this next one and then the one after that until we get to the end of the year. That’s what I’m trying to do. And if I can be integral in that, that’s all I’m working towards. There were times where people were saying I should sit, I should rest, but I have big aspirations for this team. I know what we can do and the type of men that we have in here. There’s no time to rest then than there is now. We have a job to do, and the door is still open, even if it’s a glimmer, even if it’s just cracked. We have a way to get into the playoffs if we look at these next six games as playoff games. So, I’m going to give my very best shot and be the best I can be.”
When you go back and look at that (Denver) Broncos game from a year ago, I remember the shoulder was a big part of it. But what else do you go back and learn? Maybe the left tackle matchup and how you can take that into this season?
“Looking at the matchup, I wish I would have been able to use some different moves as far as how my shoulder felt. I think I used what I felt I could at that time. And he was a good pass blocker, taking nothing away from him. He did well however I was feeling and they made the most of it. That was a game where we couldn’t get off the field and when we went back on the field, we just couldn’t make those plays to get back the offense in good scoring position. So, we have to be able to get those takeaways and those big plays and get those stops in the red zone. I remember multiple times where we were pretty close to either making a big play in the backfield or make a play on the ball and we just weren’t there. And so, myself feeling better and the guys with another year of being a part of this defense, feeling good, come off a big win, I feel like guys are ready to make up for that loss last year.”
Did that happen early in the game, the shoulder? I can’t remember, did you go in with it? Do you remember?
“Pretty sure it was around the second quarter.”
What gives you the belief when you mentioned even if it’s a slim shot, you still believe that you guys can make the playoffs. It’s one thing to have a personal belief, but do you get the sense that this locker room also believes it? And what gives you guys that belief?
“Because I believe it and Kevin (Stefanski) believes it. That means us as a leadership council, we believe. And what we believe in, the team’s going to as well. And we’re not going to shy away from the fact that that’s where our goals and aspirations still are, no matter what the record is. Teams have come back from worse, and we’re looking to be one of those teams.”
They obviously don’t have one guy that is necessarily challenging for NFL Defensive Player of the Year this year over there, but they lead the NFL in sacks. Do you derive any motivation of going against a team that leads the NFL in sacks?
“(Nik) Bonitto looks pretty good. So, I think as far as them doing well as a team and him continuing to go onto this tear that he’s on, he continues to improve on his odds. So, they’re doing well as a unit, but they also have standouts who make plays for them. And we want to be able to say we’re the best team on the field.”