Mike Tomlin will have an easier time blocking Myles Garrett storyline than the player himself
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Speaking about Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett on Tuesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said you have to be “mindful of his location.”
I’m particularly mindful of Garrett’s last location versus the Steelers. That was at the end of Cleveland’s 21-7 win on Nov. 14 when he was standing near quarterback Mason Rudolph, trying to crack his head like an egg with his own helmet.
The best way to prevent Garrett from doing something like that to Ben Roethlisberger this Sunday at Heinz Field is to be similarly mindful of Garrett’s location pre-snap.
And after the snap.
And during the play.
And — it appears — after the whistle, too.
Bottom line, make sure Garrett is in the Steelers backfield as little as possible.
Based on Garrett’s performance this year and some Steelers’ injury concerns along the offensive line, that’s probably easier said than done.
A quick scan of the internet can tell you how good Garrett has been in the five games to start 2020. His defensive contribution is a big reason why the Browns are off to a 4-1 start.
Myles Garrett: the most dominant pass-rusher in football ? pic.twitter.com/3FYS76LY0N
— PFF (@PFF) October 12, 2020
From the CBS broadcast: Myles Garrett now created 8 turnovers off his pressures/sacks in 5 games. And he also gets credit for the safety today on the Rivers intentional grounding. That's your DPOY folks…
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) October 11, 2020
The Browns are 4-1 and @danorlovsky7 wants people to start recognizing Myles Garrett!
"He should be in the MVP conversation." pic.twitter.com/yaOABvz5af
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 12, 2020
Only Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald has more sacks (7.0) than Garrett (6.0). Garrett also has an NFL-best three forced fumbles and is third with 10 quarterback hits.
Steelers guard David DeCastro and center Maurkice Pouncey were both injured during the team’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. If they are out or limited by injury, keeping Garrett at bay could be a big problem.
The Steelers only got 22 snaps out of DeCastro last week against a dangerous Philadelphia defensive front. And they managed to sack Roethlisberger just once. That’s a good job by rookie reserve Kevin Dotson. And a good job by Roethlisberger to diagnose pressure and release the ball quickly.
Stir in J.C. Hassenauer at center for Pouncey and don’t be surprised if you see Garrett bump inside opposite the right side of the Steelers offensive line occasionally to exploit that matchup.
“They have some solid fronts where they cover up your interior three, and he plays over a guard,” Tomlin said. “Sometimes it may be situational relative to one-on-one pass matchups. I know regardless of what the reason might be, we better be cognizant of his movement and work to minimize it.”
Tomlin points out that how much Garrett moves sometimes depends on whether or not fellow pass rusher Olivier Vernon plays. He’s missed some games this year due to an abdomen injury, then left the team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday late in the contest with a groin injury.
As for Garrett’s emotional energy for this one, you can imagine it’ll be at a high point given Tomlin’s rebuke of his claim that last year’s brawl was ignited by Rudolph using a racial slur. Not to mention Pittsburgh’s city-wide condemnation of his accusation without any evidence.
However, so long as Roethlisberger stays upright, Rudolph won’t be playing. Pouncey was the first Steeler who came to Rudolph’s aid and started kicking and punching Garrett for attacking the quarterback. If he doesn’t play, maybe that’ll dial back the potential animosity.
Limited fans in the stands may pull the plug on some of the negative energy directed at Garrett during the game as well.
Furthermore, I’ve also got to wonder — in the racially charged times we are living — if network television hype leading up to this contest might be intentionally muted. Or if the NFL may ask that of its TV partners given the hostile undercurrent of Garrett’s claim.
Eh, who am I kidding? That won’t happen. Ratings n’at, right?
However, tamping down the Garrett-Rudolph hyperbole of last year seems to be on Tomlin’s agenda.
“There is a lot on the table to this game in reference to stakes,” Tomlin said. “They are a 4-1 team. We’re trying to remain undefeated. We’re not looking for that low-hanging fruit or reality TV storylines.
“This is a big game here in 2020.”
For as much animosity as the players and fans may have toward Garrett, dismissing the storyline in that manner is going to be a heckuva lot easier than dismissing the player himself.