Yahoo Lifestyle Myles Garrett says he's not a dirty player, after putting Trevor Siemian out for season
It doesn’t take much for a player to get a reputation.
A couple illegal hits on “Monday Night Football,” including one that knocked a quarterback out for the season, could do it.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the first pick of the NFL draft in 2017, found himself defending his style of play this week. Garrett had two roughing the passer penalties on Monday night, and one of them ended New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian’s season.
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Garrett said he’s not a dirty player though.
“I know who I am, and the guys within these walls who I am. That’s not me,” Garrett said. “I’m not going to do anything to try to hurt this team or try to take out any player outside of the rulebook.”
Myles Garrett says he’s not dirty
Garrett’s hit on Siemian was similar to others that were called around the NFL on Sunday.
Defenders can’t land with their full weight on the quarterback. Garrett did that, and he said officials told him he also hit Siemian too high.
Garrett didn’t mean to injure Siemian, but when he landed on him, the quarterback’s left foot was pinned underneath him in an awkward way. Siemian needs season-ending ankle surgery.
First of all, I want to wish @TrevorSiemian a speedy recovery. We put our bodies on the line every single snap, and I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone.
Other than that, great team win but we still have a lot of work to do. So much love to all the fans, onto next week🤟🏾— Myles "Flash" Garrett ⚡️ (@MylesLGarrett) September 17, 2019
Garrett said he would never try to injure another player.
“I’m not trying to do anything dirty. I’m not trying to injure anybody,” Garrett said.
Garrett vows to play with same aggressiveness
Garrett has the same issue as many defenders around the NFL. They’re taught to play the game a certain way. And in many ways, they’re being held to an impossible standard when it comes to tackling but doing so without breaking any of the many rules to protect offensive players.
“You want to play aggressive, you want to play passionate,” Garrett said. “You just want to finish the play. I’m going to keep on playing with that same aggressiveness, I’ve just going to be smarter. Better in the strike zone and trying to pull off so I don’t land on him with all my weight.”
Garrett had a huge night against the Jets. He had three sacks and looked unblockable. He’ll be a candidate for NFL defensive player of the year if he keeps that up.
He might draw some extra attention from officials, too.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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