Myles Garrett: "I want to go to the playoffs"

DE Myles Garrett: On expectations for the Browns DL and how it can improve this year: “Just another year to gel. The core remains the same up front with the first team guys. You added some guys like AC (DE Adrian Clayborn) and we have Rob (DE Robert McCray) with me again. We have the rookie (DT) Jordan (Elliott), who is doing well, he is coming off the ball and he is learning the scheme. It is just looking good. I like how we are coming off the ball, penetrating, getting knock backs and they are playing off of us and how disruptive we are going to be.” On if he will participate in team drills today and if it has been tough watching from the sidelines in recent practices: “It is certainly boring just standing around – I hate it – but I love supporting my teammates so it kind of works both ways. I try to get hyped. I try to get just as excited as they are when there are big plays on the field, but it is definitely nice to be out there. They told me I would be able to get a couple of plays out there in team so when I get out there, I hope to make some big plays and show what all I can do to my new coaches.” On his goals this year: “Winning. I want to go to the playoffs. You have so many goals. Everybody wants to be All-Pro. Everybody wants to be the best at their position. Everybody wants to be Defensive Player of the Year or wants be recognized for success they have had on the field, but the ultimate success is team success. No matter how well I do, if we are no good, nobody will remember my season or what any of us did up front. I want us to ultimately have a stellar year as a defense, get to the playoffs and make a run. That is what I want to do.”On how he strained his hamstring: “Running. Just running. The first strain I have had. It was out of the blue. I kind of knew when I did it because I had never felt anything like it. It felt uncomfortable. I got over it pretty quick, and I am hoping to get in on what the guys are doing on the defensive side.” On if there are any concerns that the injury will linger or affect him Week 1: “No.” On what he and DE Olivier Vernon can do as a DE tandem: “[Vernon] is a problem on the end, whether it is setting the edge, making plays on the run and allowing it to cut back into our guys in the middle or if it being on the edge, getting to the quarterback, providing pressure, sacks and making the force the ball out earlier. That is invaluable. A guy who can do both and do it consistently, he is someone we count on, and we just play off of each other. Let him know that I have his back and what he is doing. If I am right next him, if I am playing the 3 or I am outside, if I rush the edge high and he is rushing low or whatever it is, allow ourselves to give each other the best chance to make the play and make a difference in the game.” On how his relationship with QB Baker Mayfield has evolved and spending time together: “Just two young Texas boys who want to lead their each side of the ball to success. He wants to do well on his side. He obviously wants to bounce back and have one hell of a year, and I want to do the same. We are kind of in the same boat. We are competitive. We want to be the best that we can be, and we know that last year was not that. We have it in each other. We are going to challenge each other every single day. I am going to talk to him and talk trash when we make a big play on him. I know he is going to do the same thing when he makes a big play. Just two competitive guys who love the game and have that fire for it.” On competing against T Jedrick Wills Jr. in practice and what he wants to show Wills: “I would just like to introduce him to the NFL and how things are going to be. He is going to have a tough matchup against me and OV, but whenever we beat him or whenever we get one over on him, I do not want to him get discouraged or put his head down. That was one of the things I was seeing when he was out there going against OV. He would get beat once to twice. Just try to pick his head up. ‘Hey, focus on the next play. This guy has been in the league for a long time for a reason. He knows how to play the game. He knows how to rush the passer. You can’t get discouraged from one drive. You are going to have multiple more, and this could just the one where he got you and you could go on to protect quarterback perfectly for the rest of the game so do not allow these couple plays to keep you from getting where you want to go. This is just training camp, and you have a long season. You can improve from today all the way to there, and end up like one of the guys who only gives up one or no sacks throughout the year. Just grow from that moment, and if you need any tips, I will be here, and I can put you into contact if you have not already talked to (former Browns LT) Joe (Thomas) and you want me to talk to Joe. Him and I are just advisors if you need anything.’” On if he will dial it back at all so Wills does not get discouraged: “Oh, no. Nobody ever learns when you dial it back. Now walking through, that is different. If we are in a different state of mind or a different mood and I am walking through what I am supposed to after practice with him, like my ideas, yeah, we can go through that and we can learn how to set properly and what to do when I do this or what I am going to do when he sets differently. Once we are out there with pads on, shells or whatever it is, I am going to give him whatever I have so he can get that feel of a good defensive end coming off on him and what he is supposed to be on him.” On if he paid attention to Chargers DE Joey Bosa’s contract extension and if he feels competition with other top pass rushers in the league related to contracts: “My parents always told me never worry about someone else’s money. I have mine, and I am filling the role of what I need to on this team. They know my value, and I know my value. All praise goes to Joey for what he has done and how great and productive he has been at the Chargers, but I just have to play my game and try to do it to the best of my ability. I know I can be among the very best in the league, and he has the ability, too. That is the competition right there. It does not have to go monetarily at all. I do not pay attention to that. When I see him, I just get fired up because I like the way he plays. I think he rushes the passer well. He plays the run. He chases down the ball. I love what he does, him and his brother. I would love to go head to head. I love talking with him because we do text from time to time. He and I share the same financial advisor so sometimes we share messages through him. It was interesting seeing that he got that [contract], and I was told through my financial advisor that he got it. It will be fun this year. I will not be actively keeping track of what he is doing, but I am sure I will see it on SportsCenter or whatever channel because he is that kind of player.”FB Andy Janovich: On RB Nick Chubb returning to practice today and working with Chubb and RB Kareem Hunt: “I won’t talk about them personally and all that, but with them back there, it is pretty cool because you make one block, it is one cut and they are gone. They are pretty special athletes. I have never played with players like them. It is going to be a heck of a time.” On how rare it is to have a RB tandem like Chubb and Hunt: “Extremely rare. It is not every day that you have a team with two Pro Bowl running backs and one that was 46 yards away from leading the NFL in rushing yards and the other one led the NFL [three] years ago.” On the versatility of the FB in the Browns offensive system: “You kind of have to be ready to do a little bit of everything. If we have a running back go down, I have to be ready to line up in the backfield as a running back. A tight end snap, if he is out, I have to be ready to put my hand in the dirt on the line. They kind of have me working a little bit of everything, just kind of that guy who is there if you need him. Hopefully, they don’t put me at kicker or quarterback, but if they asked me to, I would (laughter).” On why he loves playing FB: “Just really the physicality. It is just me versus you. I am going move you out of the hole, whether hell or high water. That is pretty much all it is. Just I am going to kick your butt every time I go against you.” On if he agrees that the FB is the ‘eyes of the halfback’ as run game coordinator/running backs coach Stump Mitchell said last week: “A little bit, yeah. I am looking at the same thing as they are. We kind of have to be one and the same. I am looking for what they do and then they just make the cut off me at the end of the day. You have to be just with them.” On why FBs are being used less around the NFL: “I do not know. Some people just do not like fullbacks, I guess. I do not know. I think they are pretty awesome, and everybody should have at least three of them or something like that (laughter). I honestly have no good answer for why they do not have fullbacks as much anymore.” On how he will fit into gameplans: “Hopefully, my role as a fullback, physical downhill running, getting on linebackers and maybe split me out a little bit. Probably with my speed and all that stuff ,I will just blow the roof off the top of the defense and score a lot of touchdowns that way (laughter). Just what I am good at. Running into the linebackers, and every now and again, catch a little route in the flat or something like that.” On if he believes he will be on the field a significant amount, given the Browns’ other offensive weapons: “I think so. You look at what the Vikings did last year with (Vikings FB) C.J. Ham, he was one snap away from I think having the most snaps at fullback in the NFL with 250 or something like that and he was out there like 30 percent of the time. I think that is what they will try to do.” On if there is a period of acclimation for the FB with the RBs and offense, especially since the Browns didn’t have a FBs last season: “I think that is just a feel thing. At the end of the day, they are not always following me. We are not married together, that is what they will say. You are not married to the fullback. If you see something else backside, they are going to take that hole. At the end of the day, I am not going to make every bone-crushing block and they are just going to run for 80. It gets dirty in there so they are going have to stick their foot in the ground and see what they can get.” On the excitement seeing Chubb break a long run: “It is awesome. I just run up the sideline like, ‘Alright, let’s go. Let’s go kick off.’” On if it fires him up to hear Mitchell said he has the potential to be a Pro Bowl FB: “Absolutely, I think it is awesome that he said that. That would be my goal at the end of the day. At the end of the day, too, I am just trying to go out here, win this spot and then I just want to win games. At the end of the day, I do not care that much if I am a Pro Bowler or not; I just want to be on a winning team again.” On his relationship with FB Johnny Stanton: “We played for a little bit at Nebraska – two years, I think. It was not like we were hanging out all the time, but he is a super nice guy. I really like him. I had no idea he converted to fullback with the Vikings, I was like, ‘You have to be kidding me.’ He is a huge dude. He is like 265 pounds. Like what? How were you ever even quarterback? You are huge. He is a super nice guy. Love him to death. He lays the wood. When you have somebody that big, the linebackers I am sure hate running into him. It is fun to watch him.”S Andrew Sendejo: On playing in his 11th season in the NFL and how much longer he thinks he can play: “In this game, you just go one year at a time and one week at a time. You do not really think about how long you want to play. Just kind of live in the moment.” On reuniting with Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and defensive coordinator Joe Woods: “Obviously, I have known those guys for a while. Coach Woods was my DBs coach in Minnesota for a couple years. I have watched Stefanski coach almost every position on offense when I was in Minnesota. It is good to reunite with some coaches that you know what they are about and what they are trying to accomplish. It was exciting for me to come back, join those guys and come here to Cleveland and win.” On his leadership role as a veteran: “Anytime you are an older vet on the team, it is kind of your responsibility to show the young guys how to approach the game, how to prepare, try to pass down any knowledge that you can and try to be a leader by example. Like I said earlier, it is my 11th year in kind of a young room so you kind of just naturally take that on. I have been lucky to be around guys when I was younger that showed me the way of how to do things right. Really, just emulating those guys and trying to be the best teammate and best leader that I can for us on the back end. Hopefully, it is contagious to the other older guys.” On if there is one player from when he was younger that stood out to him as an older veteran leader: “There are a lot. I know when I first got to Minnesota, (former NFL CB) Antoine Winfield, leading our secondary and really our team; (former Vikings LB) Chad Greenway and (former NFL DB) Terence Newman, a lot of older guys that were not huge rah-rah speech guys, but they really lead by example. I am fortunate those guys were around me when I was young, and they kind of showed me what it was like to be an older vet in the room.” On S Grant Delpit: “He is learning things quick. He is doing well for a rookie. Excited to have him here. Like I said earlier, [I am] trying to show the young guys, trying to teach him as much as you can and show him how to approach this game. We are excited about what it can do.” On how difficult it is for rookies this year after having a virtual offseason program: “It is very difficult. Kudos to all those guys that are picking up things very quickly. Put in a tough situation as a rookie not having that whole offseason being hands on with a lot of things, but I think we did a great job with the virtual offseason, trying to make the most of it, so that way when we got here, it was not like we were starting from zero.” On if the NFL can benefit from spring football or development leagues, given his background with the UFL: “I was very fortunate that that was around for me. Otherwise, I probably would have gone and played in Canada, and you do not really know and you have no idea of what would have happened after that. I do not really know what the NFL’s stance is on it, but I know any guy that was in my position would love to have another avenue to go through if you do not get drafted or signed. It is something that you can at least have another chance to keep playing and potentially get picked up out of there. Those are the guys I actually think about – guys that were in my position.” On the benefit of having a third S on the field earlier in a drive: “It really depends on the gameplan, who you are playing, their personnel and what type of safeties you have. There are a lot of factors that go into that, you. If you have enough guys that know the defense in all these different positions to be able to play that, if you can get that, it can be advantageous to you at times. Other times, you might not want to.” On if having three S on the field is designed to get more speed on the field in coverage: “Sometimes it can. It can just be getting a different look. Like I said, it just depends on that week, the gameplan, who you are playing, what type of plays they run and their personnel. There are a lot of variables to it.” On what he wants Browns fans to know about him and what fans can expect him to bring to the team: “What I want you all to know about me is that you are going to get my best every Sunday, Monday or Thursday, whenever we are playing. I leave it all out there on the field, and that I am here to win.” On CB Kevin Johnson’s injury and who will play the nickel until Johnson returns: “I think everyone knows in this league that it is next man up, and that is why if you are a backup you just always have to be ready because injuries happen all the time in this league – it is nothing new. An injury like that, it is unique and unfortunate. We are hoping that he heals up quick. Other guys will step in and will have the opportunity now to showcase themselves. Just like any time someone gets hurt, it gives someone else an opportunity, but it also shows that if you are a backup, you need to be ready to play.”

Press Conference

Myles Garrett: "I want to go to the playoffs"