DE Myles Garrett (9.11.20)
DE Myles Garrett:
On his emotions coming back from suspension and playing the first game of the season:
“Just excited. This is a brand new season for me and a blessing to be out there. I feel like every guy feels like that, especially with COVID and what is going on in the world and not knowing if there would be a season in general. We are all just excited to be out there and play the game that we love.”
On why the incident with Steelers QB Mason Rudolph made him question his football future:
“I left it open ended to leave it open ended.”
On if continuity on the starting Browns DL gives the team an advantage:
“I do like the consistency. We have chemistry in the room just because we have worked together for a year. There should be no excuses for the new guys coming in because they got the scheme brand new just like we did. Now, you just have to be able to be in your position and be in your spot whenever you are called to be. If you are and you are doing it consistently we have a chance of being successful.”
On if it will feel different playing this week after returning from suspension, given the length of time since his last game:
“No, I think it will feel the same. Hopefully, I look better than I did before. More time to train. I feel like we will all pick up where we left off.”
On if he expects the Ravens to treat him any differently:
“No, I do not. I do not think they should. Some chips, some max protections and run the hell out of the ball. Be prepared to play the run and be where I am supposed to be.”
On if the Ravens may personally treat him differently due to the suspension:
“That is up to them. I am not coming in thinking they are going to do that, and I am not going to change my game according to that. I am just going to play by the rules and be where I am supposed to be.”
On what makes Ravens QB Lamar Jackson so hard to defend:
“Anybody who has seen the film knows why he is so hard to defend. The man runs like a 4.3. He is as elusive as anybody in the league. I know we give credit to (Texans QB) Deshaun Watson a lot, but he is just as elusive but faster. If he is having a good day throwing the ball, he is very hard to stop. We have to make it hard on him, keep him corralled and not give him any easy targets.”
On if he can imagine Jackson being even better than he was last season, given that Ravens RB Mark Ingram II said he is ‘a million times’ better:
“A million might be a stretch, but I would say the same thing for my teammates and how they are looking. I am going go out there prepared for a Lamar 2.0. If he is coming out faster or with a better arm, we just have to play him like we would last year. Play him as best we did and to the best of our ability. We can’t do anything more than that. If he comes out better and he is making some throws that we have not or seen doing some things that we have not seen, we just have to adjust on the fly.”
On if the Browns have decided on what they will do pregame related to social justice and if the team has coordinated anything with the Ravens, like to the Texans and Chiefs did last night:
“For right now, we are just finishing up with a crisp Friday practice and worried about looking at the film and seeing how we can patch everything up before Sunday. We have talked about what we will do, and you will see what we do when we get there. Not going to give anybody any time to dissect it and try to make it more than it is or divisive. What we choose to do, it will have a point. There will be a message behind it. We will use it to unify us, the NFL and the people who choose to watch.”
On if the entire organization will be united in what the team does pregame on Sunday:
“Whatever we do, we are going to do it together. That is what we talked about. That is it.”
On how DT Larry Ogunjobi looks and what he expects from Ogunjobi this season:
“He is looking terrible, he is looking 40 pounds overweight, his feet are so bad, he can’t get his hands together and I have not seen him win a one-on-one rep since I have been here (laughter). You can use that when you put down the news and the Ravens put that up. He has looked great. He is looking in very good shape. He loves to be known as that 300-pound DT with abs. He is one of the few men I know who can do it because he works all the time. He comes in and he stays late everyday trying to try to improve on himself, on his technique and on his feet. You do not find many guys like that.”
On the challenge deciding whether to be aggressive with or contain Jackson:
“You have to aggressively contain him.”
On if it is tough to aggressively contain Jackson:
“MVP. It is tough for everybody to do, but we are up for the test. To his credit, he is good at what he does. They are good at what they do. We have to just challenge them in every spot, make it hard to open up the playbook and try and keep them one dimensional.”
On if he worries about how people who don’t truly know him may perceive him as a player:
“No. Either they will see eventually or they will keep on hating. That is just a part of life. When you are successful, you are going to have people who drag your hate on you. They will recognize you for your game or what you do outside of it or they just do not matter.”
On how the Browns were able to give T Jedrick Wills Jr. good looks to prepare for Week 1:
“I want to say there is nothing like the game just because of the environment and tempo. The environment has been taken out of it, and he has gotten the tempo pretty much for how (Head Coach) Kevin (Stefanski) has been running things. I like where he is. I like what he has been doing. I like how aggressive he is on run and pass and trying to get guys before they get started. I think he is ready, and I think he is more than pumped for that opportunity.”
# # #