Myles Garrett had one of the greatest defensive seasons in Cleveland Browns history, both statistically and in terms of making his teammates better.
He finished the season with 14 sacks, 42 total tackles, and four forced fumbles.
He also drew multiple blockers on nearly every passing snap, freeing things up for his fellow linemen and linebackers to get after the quarterback.
In spite of his remarkable season, however, Garrett was seemingly a non-factor in the passing game in the final games of the season, including in Cleveland’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.
As such, he has gone from the hero to the goat (not the good kind) in the eyes of many Browns fans.
However, Myles Simmons of PFT thinks that much of the criticism is unwarranted, given that Garrett isn’t the only defensive player on the field (via BIGPLAY Cleveland Show on Twitter.)
Are Browns fans crazy for bashing Myles Garrett?
"The other players have to step up & we just didn't see that."
-PFT's @MylesASimmons ⬇️
presented by @tipico! 🤑 pic.twitter.com/xl5RsSbCAa
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) January 19, 2024
Simmons’ points in defense for Garrett were that he was going up against one of the best offensive linemen in football, Laremy Tunsil, and that nobody else stepped up to help Garrett on defense.
While Simmons certainly has a point, Browns fans do, too, in their criticism of Garrett, who is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
In the final seven games of the season, including the playoffs, Garrett had just one sack and 15 total tackles.
He also had far fewer QB pressures and hits than in the first half of the season despite getting the same amount of attention.
So, while the entire defense was to blame for Cleveland’s loss to the Texans, it’s up to leaders and superstars like Garrett to step up in big games.
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