Getty Images Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
Myles Garrett wasn’t too happy with the Cleveland Browns’ home crowd last week, but the powerful pass rusher changed his tune after the September 22 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Garrett caught some heat for criticizing Browns fans for booing them after a Week 2 meltdown against the New York Jets. But it was all good vibes in the stadium after the Browns were able to top the Steelers 29-17.
“It is the reception I hope we get every night,” Garrett told reporters after the game. “Performance we were trying to put out, and whatever reaction we get or we produce from them, we are going to put our best foot forward and give 100% and play our best game.”
The Browns controlled the majority of the game against the Steelers and turned it on in the second half, outscoring Pittsburgh 16-3 over the final 30 minutes despite some key injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
“We have seen that a lot, where we really come out of the second half or halftime and really shut guys down,” Garrett said. “It was just about doing it in the fourth quarter for that second half. I think that is where we took the next step tonight where we really were on our P’s and Q’s and made sure that we did not give any leaky gains or big plays. Everybody was communicating, and there were no mistakes on the front or on the back end.”
Garrett Called Fans Booing ‘Disrespectful’ After Week 2
The game was a nice change of pace from Week 2, when Cleveland let the Jets steal a 31-30 victory, scoring a pair of touchdowns over the final 1:22 of the game.
After falling to 1-1, the crowd hit Garrett and Co. with a smattering of boos and the All-Pro defensive end voiced his displeasure in his postgame comments.
“The more disappointing thing was the booing at the end,” Garrett said. “These guys are still putting their asses on the line and playing as hard as they can and they should be respected as such. … We have a lot of time to correct what we are doing so we don’t want to see this crowd, this stadium give up on us this early. We want to see them completely behind us.”
Garrett did leave one moment with the fans on the table Thursday, unable to get to Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky for a sack. If he had been able to notch his fourth of the year, it would have set the new franchise record for the Browns. Garrett currently has 61.5 in 71 games played, just behind Clay Matthews Jr.’s mark of 62, which took him 171 games to amass.
Garrett did see some increased attention from the Steelers with his co-star Jadeveon Clowney out of the lineup. Clowney is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered against the Jets.
Garrett Jokes About Players-Only Meeting
After the crushing Week 2 loss, Garrett called a players-only meeting for the defense to air their grievances in an effort to get back on the same page. The busted coverage at the end of the game on a 66-yard touchdown strike caused some finger-pointing and put a clear focus on communication, which the Browns seemed to clear up this week.
Garrett joked when asked about the topics of conversation for the meeting.
“Pretty girls and fast cars,” Garrett said with a smile.
Garrett and the Browns now get a long week as they turn their attention to their Week 4 matchup against the winless Atlanta Falcons.