SACK ATTACK
Texans’ J. J. Watt and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett will bring the pass rush today.
Contorting his powerful frame into unusually low angles to relentlessly harass quarterbacks, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett resembles an Olympic speed skater as he charges into the backfield.
Garrett is redefining the concepts of torque and pressure as an elite pass rusher.
That’s why the former top overall pick from Texas A&M was signed in July to a five-year, $125 million extension that includes a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed.
Garrett is just that valuable. And quarterbacks tend to have their helmet on a swivel in Garrett’s athletic presence.
That’s because Garrett is just that dangerous.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the 2-6 Texans, the Arlington native has a league-high nine sacks (tied with Aaron Donald) and four forced fumbles.
In his fourth NFL season, Garrett has firmly inserted himself into the conversation for his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
“He’s obviously having a great year so far,” Texans defensive end J. J. Watt said. “Hopefully, he doesn’t have a good game on Sunday. That’s the goal for us. The guy’s a hell of a player. He’s got speed. He’s got quickness and power. He’s got all the tools you need, and he’s obviously playing at an extremely high level.”
The Browns’ offensive line will face their own challenges against Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Watt has four sacks and two forced fumbles, eight quarterback hits and five tackles for losses.
He recorded his 100th career sack a week ago in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Between Watt and Garrett, two of the top practitioners of the pass rushing game will put their skills on display Sunday.
“You’re talking about two preeminent rushers between Myles and Watt,” Stefanski said. “Myles is similar in the way he’s able to get off on the snap and (how) a person that size that can bend.”
Watt is “a very, very rare person,” Stefanski added. “His size, power, strength, quickness, the way he’s able to get his arms in throwing lanes, strip sacks. Just such a disruptive player. Obviously, he’s amajor focus of ours going into this game. I think they do a great job of moving him around where you can’t get a bead on where he is. The tape, it’s impressive.”
Garrett wasn’t available for interviews thisweek, but Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel, a former Browns head coach, has a hunch that his former player will be trying to do outdo Watt.
“Sure, a player across the field playing your position and trying to do the same thing that you do, there will be more juice,” Crennel said. I think Myles will have more juice as a result of it, because of what J. J. has been able to accomplish in his career.
“I like Myles a lot from what I see. He has got that drive that some of the great pass rushers have. He has good length, he has good quickness off the ball, he has flexibility, and he doggedly pursues the quarterback. Generally, that means sacks.”
For their vertical passing game to keep clicking, the Texans will have to keep Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson upright and provide him with a relatively safe environment to connect with speedy wide receivers Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks.
To that end, the Texans have built a game plan intended to try to limit Garrett’s impact.
“He’s a beast,” Watson said. “He got paid what he deserved. He’s a guy that’s going to come every play. He’s a guy that you have to worry about each and every time. He’s a special talent.
“Very athletic, can run, very powerful, very strong, can bend around the edge. He’s a guy that we’ve got to make sure that we can try to contain asmuch as possible and not let him take over the ball game.”
The Texans’ best hope might be that Garrett challenges Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil more frequently than their less talented blockers.
Tunsil is the highest-graded pass protector in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think Tunsil’s as good as they come in this league,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Just his combination of his size and length. Anybody that’s rushing over there is going to get a full day’s worth vs. Tunsil.”
But Garrett simply could line up on the left side of the Browns’ defensive line and attack Texans right offensive tackle Tytus Howard and right guard Zach Fulton. Midway through the season, they’ve combined to allow seven sacks and 50 quarterback pressures.
Watson has been sacked 24 times this season, the fourth-most in the NFL.
Tunsil has surrendered no sacks and just seven pressures.
“He’s great, I feel like the best left tackle in the game, so I’m glad that he’s on my team,” Watson said. “I’m glad that he’s healthy and he’s been able to do what he (can) do, and he takes the charge of the offensive line. I’m comfortable when he’s on my left side, and he’s fully healthy and can go out there each and every snap.”
A consensus All-American who had 31 career sacks and 47 tackles for losses for the Aggies, Garrett already has piled up 39½ career sacks and10 forced fumbles in the NFL.
“The first thing you notice about Myles is really just his length,” Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “He’s really long. You notice how big he is. You notice how well he moves, not only obviously like running, but his ability to bend and contort his body to get his hips flipped to put him in a position to finish those pass rushes. In terms of ability, he’s off the charts.
“He’s got enough size and athletic ability to be versatile enough to move across the front. I’m sure every single one of our guys up frontwill get a shot at him on Sunday.”
Garrett has put an ugly incident that earned him a suspension last year behind him.
After pulling off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and striking him in the head with it during a fight, Garrett apologized and described his actions as “foolish” and “out of character.”
He was suspended for the rest of the season and fined $45,623. Garrett also claimed that Rudolph directed a racial slur at him, which Rudolph has denied.
Reinstated in February by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Garrett is making up for lost time this season with 13 quarterback hits, five tackles for losses and two fumble recoveries.
At a sculpted 6-4 and 272 pounds, Garrett is hard to stop. But so is Watt.
Watt is 3-0 all-time against the Browns, with one sack against Brian Hoyer in 2014, when he also caught a 2-yard touchdown pass.
“J. J., his play speaks for itself,” said Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, Watt’s target. “He has been a great player for a long time. He is one of those guys you always have to know where he is on the field.”