First, Myles Garrett reviews the sacks he completed. Then, he reviews the ones he missed.
Those are the most important ones to watch, Garrett said, because those are the plays that can help him grow.
"You know you can make it this way," Garrett said, elaborating on his film study habits. "What stopped you from making that play on this Sunday or against a team four weeks ago? What's the determining factor?"
Against the Bengals, he missed one because he tackled Joe Schobert, who was grasping at Jeff Driskel, instead of tackling Driskel. He missed another because he took a poor angle toward Driskel. But upon revisiting the tape, he noticed external factors at play.
"I saw this strange thing called a holding call," Garrett said.
Garrett understands elite pass rushers are expected to overcome those adversities. For that reason, he's toned down his in-game complaints. He might point out a missed call but he won't badger officials.
Ultimately, Garrett believes that he— not the officials or his blocker — is the person who determines whether he hits the quarterback. While he credited Driskel for his evasive prowess, Garrett said he took poor angles on multiple occasions during Sunday's game.
This Sunday, Garrett's target is Lamar Jackson, one of the most — to borrow a term from Garrett — slippery quarterbacks in the league. While mic'd up Sunday, Garrett posited that Driskel might be the most slippery quarterback he's ever tried to bring down. On Friday, Garrett said Jackson was even more slippery.
So he'll have his hands full, or perhaps less full than he'd prefer while chasing Jackson on Sunday. He needs two sacks to break the Browns' single-season franchise record.
In his mind, he should've already broken it. Quarterbacks have wriggled from his grasp much more than he's liked this season. But Garrett doesn't allow the near misses to discourage him.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Close encounters only make him hungrier for his next chance.
"Frustration only fuels me to go get another one," Garrett said. "Makes me want to put (the blocker) on the ground. He can't hold me if he's on his behind."
