Myles Garrett says he wants to prove he is the LeBron James of the Cleveland Browns as he looks to lead the team to Super Bowl glory
Thursday 9 September 2021 10:56, UK
Myles Garrett's older brother Sean Williams is a former NBA player. Myles Garrett has asserted himself as a prime feature of the Cleveland sporting landscape. Myles Garrett knows what LeBron James represents, what he did, and who he did it with.
The Browns pass rusher watched the four-time champion spearhead the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals for the first time in 2007, and he watched the four-time champion finally win the title with the Cavaliers in 2016 following the arrival of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Garrett, as a Cleveland athlete should, is striving to match the impact of the 17-time All-Star, with his mission set to be aided by the introduction of Jadeveon Clowney and Malik Jackson in the offseason.
"I've got my Kyrie and my Love?" said Garrett, speaking rhetorically in an interview with the Akron Beacon Journal. "Well, hell, I have to prove that I'm LeBron first before anything. I have to prove that I'm the playmaker at all levels. Hell, he's top three in any debate that you have."
General manager Andrew Berry did not stop there in supporting Garrett up front, drafting all-action linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as well as signing former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takk McKinley.
Garrett has recorded 42.5 sacks and 83 quarterback hits in 51 career games seeing being selected No. 1 overall out of Texas A&M in 2017 and was recently ranked 16th on the NFL's Top 100 list, as voted for by the players.
"[My friends say], 'It's not even talent. You've just got play the whole season. You've just got to be there and be available.' It's like, 'Yeah, I hear ya,'" Garrett said.
"I feel like I have the talent to put out a hell of a year, one that will be remembered for a long time, especially here with the things we're doing or hope to do this year.
"If I can have the year they expect me to have and that I hope to have, then it will be remembered for a long time. It will be just what I'm hoping that I could've done the last two years and continue to do for the rest of my career."
Garrett was integral in helping the Browns reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002 last season as he recorded 48 tackles, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass defenses in 14 games.
The momentum that had propelled him into Defensive Player of the Year contention over the first half of the season was dealt an untimely blow when Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 in November.
Having missed 13 games over his first four years in the league due to injury, COVID and his 2019 suspension, he is out to make up for lost time.
"The guys who were in the talks to win DPOY, (T.J.) Watt and (Aaron) Donald, great players, but I was right among them before I was hit with COVID," Garrett said.
"They didn't get it. So they were available. They were on the field, and they took care of themselves.
"That's on me for not doing that, however I got it, and I've got to make sure I'm available this year for my team, for the individual goals that I have and for whatever run we'll have in the playoffs."
For the latest news, features and interviews, stay across skysports.com/nfl and on follow us on Twitter @SkySportsNFL.
