DE Myles Garrett (6.12.24)

So, Myles, you really gonna be part of this kickoff rule? 

“Am I gonna be a part of it? Maybe. I’m in the meetings, so if my name is called, I’ll be out there.” 

 

What can you provide on it? 

“Whatever we need. I’ll return it. I’ll go down there and smack something. It’s whatever. Wherever they place me.” 

 

Being in the meetings and seeing everything and you guys practicing it, how much more of an exciting play is this going to be now for fans and for everyone watching? 

“It’s definitely going to be a game changer more often than not, actually more often than recent years. So everybody’s going to be on their P’s and Q’s. They’re going to be those different strategies you see throughout the season with different teams, but it’s going to be a lot more exciting, and fans are really going to get a kick out of it.” 

 

So, Myles as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. We used to always ask you about your goals, and that was always one of them. Now you head into a season, and you are the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. So how do you build on that and what do you sort of do this year? What are your hopes and dreams? 

“You know, God willing, I can build on that success that we had last year but have everyone be healthy and go win the Super Bowl. That’s where my eyes are only.” 

 

Denzel (Ward) and Chief (David Njoku) were talking about how it just doesn’t feel that long ago that you guys were the young guys on this team. How fast has that time moved and how much have you changed? 

“Still a young guy on this team. Not the ‘younger’ guy, but still a young guy on this team.” 

 

How, as you “get older,” how does urgency increase chasing that ring? 

“Same urgency. Back when I was a rookie, not the same urgency as now. Focus is just different. Understanding the moment, understanding the guys we have in this room, taking all that in and taking it into account and realizing that we have a special opportunity more than any other year, and it continues to build and continue to stack, and that’s helped improve my focus and increase the leadership that we have around each room and the building. Some guys are really building together and starting to really get it in, lock in.” 

 

How have you changed over the last seven years? 

“Have I changed? I mean, grew my hair, cut my hair, got a wristband now. But really, it’s just the mental aspect. I mean, physically, I always stay ready, so I don’t have to get ready. I’m definitely changing things with my diet and work with different people, and I have a team now around me to help improve myself physically, try to withstand the rigors of the season and increase my endurance. But mentally, it’s about always set me an example on and off the field and that wasn’t always my forte, especially vocally. And now I think that’s helped become more part of the person that I am. And it took some leadership from other guys who have done it, whether it was from this sport, this team, or from others where I could take inspiration from. They’ve really helped round me out as a person as a player.” 

 

The continuity you guys have in that room, you know, from last year to this year, how much is that going to help, and I know you’re a big basketball guy, they talk about playing with a superstar, playing with a guy like (Michael) Jordan or LeBron (James). It takes time to adjust to playing with them. Do you feel like it’s going to benefit each other, you know, that they have that experience playing with you and you have that experience playing with them. 

“I mean, all up to those guys, and I’m not saying that any of them have this problem, but at least for me, I try to be as selfless as possible, have no ego and go to guys and give my two cents and also receive information they’re giving back to me. Their thoughts and their ideas and how they can improve, and I can improve myself as a player. Everyone’s different and what they need to get better on and off the field is different for every single person. And though we have a lot of consistency, we have a couple of new guys which we feel like are making some plays and going to help them and try to develop them in this culture as much as we can. But I don’t think there’ll be any drop-off or them having to really catch in stride. I think a lot of guys really get it and understand the kind of urgency that we’re playing with and that we’re passionate with and we’ll get along very quickly. And that consistency helps build a culture in which we’ve been wanting to build for a while now, but it also builds that hunger because, you know, it’s the same group of guys, mostly the same group of guys, and we all want it, even worse than last.” 

 

Considering all the energy that you guys have spent and everything you went through last year just to get back to the playoffs, only to have the Wild Card game go the way it went. How much does that stick and burn within you and the rest of your teammates? 

“I can’t say how much it sticks with them currently, but it’s definitely at the forefront of my mind always. That’s the last taste of football that we all had. I plan to make that apparent to everyone and continue to keep it as motivation for myself. We stepped out. We didn’t get the job done. We didn’t execute, and we fell short of our goals. Regardless of the injuries and anything else that transpired, we fell short, and we didn’t complete the mission. So, we have to lock back in. We have to circle the wagons and figure out how we can get better. First thing we can do is get out here and know exactly what to do in every situation. Be perfect in your P’s and Qs.” 

 

Myles along those lines, you fulfilled some personal goals. Now, when will you feel satisfied that your career has been what you wanted it to be? 

“Never. Never be enough. And I might feel a little bit of satisfaction once we win one for Cleveland, but then there’s always the next year. Not going to stop until the body tells me it’s time to hang them up. Until I stop having fun, until I stop loving this game, and I wanted to be in here with my teammates. So, all that fades. I’m gonna be here a good while. And I’m just trying to do my best to improve this team.” 

 

There are a lot of great players and hall of famers who never win one. How important is it to your legacy that you do win? 

“Don’t care. Don’t care about legacy. I want it for the city. I want it for those guys in there. My legacy, it’ll speak for itself that, you know, once it’s said and done. But I want it for those guys because they deserve it. They go out there every single day and earn it by working hard, by putting in the time, getting up early, leaving late. And it takes those kinds of leaders every single day to really see that what we’re doing is special. And we want to show that we can sustain this an entire year and build something special here.” 

 

Myles, your new position coach, fifth one that you’ve had in eight years. He said the other day that he expects a lot more out of you, and he said he believes that you expect the same thing. So, what would that look like? 

“More of everything. More. More leadership, more plays, being more vocal, being more inspired, whatever I can do, being more attentive, allowing a room for guys to be themselves. We want more personality; we want more culture. There’s so much more we can build on because we left so many plays out there, myself included. And so, he’s looking at that, seeing that we could have been not only all time on defense, but all-time up front. And we have the guys who do it now it’s just about doing more.” 

 

Playing off of that, you talk about the continuity up front and then the new guys. How much better can that D line be this year?  

“A whole lot. I mean, we only had one year under (Jim) Schwartz. They did a hell of a job. And, you know, him having consistency up front and with the defense, he’s going to start dialing things up a little bit more, reaching more into his bag. He threw the fastball a lot and it was successful. But now being able to change it up a little bit, it’s really going to throw teams for a loop. And we’re looking forward to really getting after guys and making the plays some of us miss and some of the plays that we missed.” 

 

Myles, you take on so many double teams, triple teams. We see this every single game and it’s so physically taxing and demanding that sometimes, and maybe I’m wrong about this, but sometimes by the time you get into the last quarter of the season, starting to wear on you a little bit and maybe you don’t finish quite as strong as you would like to. Again, I could be wrong about that, but is that something that is a focus for you this year to try to finish super crazy strong the same way you start or set that? 

“Yeah. You are going to finish as strong as you start or even stronger. And I think it’s made a point of emphasis through the second half of the season to double or to show more attention towards me. And that’s when I have to dig deeper. I got to find something more in my bag, improve my fitness or my endurance so I can continue to try those different moves to break those double teams, to slide through and to move to different positions on the front. And when I’m taking up all those singles, doubles, triples, that’s when my other guys come up to shine. We see a guy step up and come in the game who you wouldn’t expect and make a name for themselves. They get that spotlight. And we’re looking forward to when those opportunities come. When they’re doubling me. We see the rise of a player up front or a backer who’s really going to make a name for himself.” 

 

Myles, Alex Wright is a young guy who seemed to really take some nice steps last season and I know you take under your wing a bit. What do you expect from him in year three? 

“Expecting to continue this growth and exponentially at that. I want him to continue to take the things that he improved on last year and take it to another level. And I know he’s been working on it. Weaknesses and he wanted to add a couple more things to his toolkit and he’s asking the right questions, he’s working hard and he’s physically in better shape than he ever has been.” 

 

What are your thoughts on Mike Hall Jr. so far? I mean he came in and he had some huge goals the same way that you did as a rookie. He wants to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and just wondering what do you think of this game so far in the addition of Mike? 

“I think he’s explosive and I think he’s very attentive. I’ve seen how he watches the game and he’s taking notes every time we’re sitting down. He always has a notebook no matter where we’re at. And he’s already asked some questions about what I’m thinking and how I’m cornering and what’s my plan. It’s a good start already. You know, asking, trying to get all those things down. I remember Joe (Schobert) had to walk me through those things in the preseason for me. ‘What’s my plan? How am I attacking this guy? What’s different from him to the next guy?’ And I’m happy to play that Joe roll. I guess I’m the older mentor at this point.” 

 

Myles, you mentioned the legacy earlier. I don’t know if you heard Jerry West, “Mister Logo,” died this morning. Your thoughts on that? I know you’re a big basketball guy. 

“Less than a year ago around this time. Spoke to us at the Greenbrier. Loved his message and definitely still had a lot of energy, still had a lot of life to give and wisdom. So, my condolences are with the West family. I know he meant a lot. I know he meant a lot to our community out there. And it’s a sad day for the NBA and the NBA family and prayers out for them.” 

 

Remember that message he gave you guys specifically? 

“I mean he talked about the grit and the team bonding that it takes to really get there. How much you really have to stick together and how much resilience it takes to weather an entire season and really make it to the end. Every team is talented, but how much are you willing to take to get to where you want. Talked a little about being paid more and all about ownership, but we’ll skip that part.” 

 

You guys went to the Greenbrier last year. One of the main reasons coach did that was so that you guys could really work on the bonding aspect and just really, you know, focus in on training camp. Are you looking forward to the return trip and how do you guys repeat the results that you got from that experience together? 

“Attack it the same way. Attack it the same way but continue to try to improve on where we missed out. Whether it was those moments of bonding, making sure that all the guys getting out of their rooms, talking through plays, walk through plays, going to dinner, talking about the game at that moment, it’s time to lock in. We’re away for a reason. Take it as a work trip, not on vacation, and we don’t need to treat it like that. So having that mentality will be good. And using that same, dialing it back and using that when we go on the away games. Like, you know, went to the west coast last year and we didn’t have the success that we wanted to. You know, call back to the moment when were in the Greenbrier. What did it take for us to get up and push ourselves through that? Call back on those moments, and that’s where you’ll find your success.” 

 

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