Myles Garrett just goes with what's called on the field. Debating gets him nowhere.
And as he learned Friday, those rules don't change no matter the setting.
The Browns' No. 1 pick was officially credited with two sacks during the Orange & Brown Scrimmage, picking up one apiece in the first and second half of the 40-minute intrasquad battle. Afterward, a broad smile crossed Garrett's face when he was asked how many sacks he thought he had in a scrimmage that did not allow hits on the quarterback.
"I am going with whatever they call. Coach said I had four," Garrett said. "They blew two, so I am just going to go with two."
Browns coach Hue Jackson joked he had to play mediator between the offense, defense and officials when it came to those kinds of subjective plays. On one of Garrett's potential sacks, Kevin Hogan completed the longest pass of the evening downfield to Jordan Payton. Earlier in the week, Garrett lobbied Jackson for the whistle to be blown on a handful of plays he believed would be sacks during a two-minute drill on the practice fields in Berea.
Jackson didn't need a couple of more official sacks to know what kind of performance Garrett had.
"Guys know that they are trying to stay away from the quarterback. It was played pretty cleanly from both sides," Jackson said. "Guys wanted more sacks than what they got and that is part of it. I get to make those decisions right now."
The numbers weren't important on a night like Friday. For Garrett, it's the noticeable progress that matters.
After missing a good chunk of OTAs and minicamp with minor injuries, Garrett is making that progress hard to ignore as the Browns power through the heart of their training camp schedule.
"I am just getting my rhythm back, starting to feel good again," Garrett said. "It is not like I was feeling unhealthy; it was just getting back into the pace of things. Just seeing what I can do. Testing some moves out and seeing how they work. Testing my opponent and seeing what I can get away with, and how I can be successful."
Garrett worked with members of the first-team defense on the Brown team. He rotated with Cam Johnson during parts of the scrimmage and showed off his versatility by working at both left and right end. Through most parts of camp, Garrett has worked against the opposing left tackle as a right end, but defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is tasking all of his players to be comfortable in multiple positions.
Garrett appeared up to the task on this night.
"He wants me to learn everything," Garrett said. "He does not want me to be stuck in one position. He wants me to learn the whole D-line, so if anything comes up or if anyone goes down, I can move to the left, or even move inside if I have to."
