'The goals are the same': Myles Garrett not letting Browns' first eight games change things

BEREA — The first eight games of the Browns' season had their share of twists and turns. That's just for All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.

There was a strong opener in beating former teammate Baker Mayfield at Carolina, followed a couple weeks later by a car accident that left him with a left shoulder sprain and a right biceps strain. There was the start of a four-game losing streak that coincided with the accident and ended right before the bye week arrived.

The bye week has come and gone now, with the Browns at 3-5 heading into Sunday's game at Miami. What hasn't come and gone is what Garrett believes can be accomplished, both individually and as a team.

"The goals are the same," Garrett said Friday. "I never lost sight of what was happening. The accident, no matter how much time I was going to have off — whether it was 12 games or 10 games, however I was going to be shortened to if it had been worse — I was going to make sure that I was going to achieve my goals. So I still think we all have our goals ahead of us and everything that we want to achieve right in front of us. We’ve just got to keep going and go get it."

If that's going to happen, it's going to have to come with some help from the Browns' All-Pro defensive ends. Plural, as in both Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.

Injuries were the story for both star edge rushers over the first eight games. Garrett's injuries only cost him a Week 4 game at Atlanta.

Clowney, though, has battled an ankle injury he sustained in the third quarter of the Week 2 loss to the New York Jets. The injury cost him three games, including the same loss to the Falcons in which Garrett was out.

"I don't know about (Garrett); I can't speak on him," Clowney said. "For what I feel, I feel a little better than I did the last few weeks I've been playing. I'm just hoping it'll roll over to these games and I'll continue to feel this way the rest of this year."

Neither Garrett nor Clowney had any injury designation listed for them over the course of this week. Neither practiced Wednesday, but the official reason given was "rest" on the injury report.

That fact should be a warning to opposing offenses, who will have to deal with the potential of them coming at them from either side. It's also music to the ears of their head coach, whose team needs the duo to wreck opposing offenses over the last nine games.

“I think JD and with Garrett playing together, that is a lot of length that the offense has to deal with," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "And then JD plays so disruptive in the run game and in the pass game, and you can rush him inside and outside so he gives you some versatility. Particularly with our top two guys out there, there is length, which I think is tough for defenses."

The best example may be two of the best all-around games played by the Browns' star defensive edge rushers. The first was against Mayfield and the Panthers, when they combined for seven tackles, 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.

The other was the last game before the bye, a win over Cincinnati. While much of that performance was due to Garrett, who had 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss and four quarterback hits, it was aided by the fact the Bengals had to account for Clowney from the other side.

That last performance was part of back-to-back solid, if not spectacular, showings by the Browns defense. It's those performances that are being used as a guidepost to what they hope is a second consecutive second-half push to be a top-10-caliber defense.

"I mean, it was two pretty good performances," Garrett said. "The last one was pretty darn good, but we want to stack 'em on that, knowing that they got away with some that we allowed them to have and that we can build upon and make sure that we iron out.

"It’s a fine opportunity to do this against this team, who has sprinkles of, honestly, those two teams that we’ve played last. They’re a little bit reminiscent of them, the uniqueness and kinda their play calling. I don’t want to say anybody’s like (Baltimore's) Lamar (Jackson) or (Cincinnati's) Joe (Burrow), but the way they get the ball out quick and how they want to run the ball, it’s a little bit of both."

That starts with Sunday's game against the Dolphins. The roles Garrett and Clowney play starts with their ability to make Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa uncomfortable in the pocket, which could then throw off the timing of the Dolphins' passing game, which is ranked second in the NFL.

The focus on stopping that passing game has centered on the Browns defensive backs, considering they're being matched up against two of the league's top-five receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That undervalues what the defensive front can do to disrupt the timing of Tagovailoa.

"I feel like every week, every game I've ever played in the National Football League, the pressure's always been on the offensive and defensive lines," Clowney said. "It starts up front. We take pride in that. Every team I ever played on, it's always coming down to the offensive and defensive line. Whoever can control the line of scrimmage, whoever can get pressure on the quarterback, I feel that's what it's going to come down to this week.

"The front gotta come to play, we gotta come to play and help our DBs out as much as possible."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns star Myles Garrett not changing goals despite slow start