Last season's brawl between Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph was unavoidably revisited once again after Kevin Stefanski named Garrett game captain for Sunday's win-to-get-in meeting against the Steelers.(The Spun)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
On the final day of interviews before the win-to-get-in Browns game against the Steelers, the Myles Garrett v. Mason Rudolph brawl from last year was revisited in both cities.
In Cleveland, coach Kevin Stefanski took the unprecedented step of disclosing his game captain for Sunday, and it was Myles Garrett.
“I don’t want that to be misconstrued,” Stefanski said. “It’s a big game, so I’m sending the big guy out there. But it is in no way a callback to anything previously. I just want to make sure that’s clear.”
Garrett said, “It just kind of worked out this way.”
Garrett’s side of the story checks out. He said that he originally wanted to be a captain for the Browns v. Cowboys game Oct. 4 in Garrett’s hometown of Arlington, TX. Stefanski apparently inadvertently forgot, after which Garrett told the coach he’d take the last game against Pittsburgh.
“I knew it would be a big game for us. It was kind of early [in the season], but it ended up being right,” he said.
But he didn’t know that Rudolph would be starting for Ben Roethlisberger, who has been given the day off by coach Mike Tomlin.
In that Nov. 14 game last year won by the Browns, 21-7, Garrett grappled with Rudolph on a takedown in the final seconds. It escalated into Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet and slamming it against his head. A brawl ensued.
Garrett was suspended for six games, losing over $1 million in game checks and fines. The Browns went 2-4 without Garrett and had another regime change.
Later, Garrett said he lost control when he heard Rudolph use a racial slur. Rudolph, his lawyer, and Tomlin consistently refuted the allegation. The NFL said it found no audio evidence to support it.
In Pittsburgh on Friday, Rudolph took the high road and praised Garrett. He said he had not heard from Garrett since the incident.
"I'm happy to hear Myles out with whatever he would ... if he wants to approach me, if he wants to talk," Rudolph said. "He's a great player, and they are playing well as a defense. He's a menace in the backfield. He's very disruptive. When they are playing at their best, he's sack-fumbling and he's getting to the quarterback. Obviously, you are very aware of that, and you treat him with great respect."
Garrett said he’d be willing to talk before or after the game. But it's not much of an issue given the must-win status of the game for the Browns to make the playoffs.
Two things will not happen.
Tomlin is not naming Rudolph a captain and sending his quarterback out for the pre-game coin toss alongside Garrett. And Garrett is not going to subconsciously take it easy on Rudolph during the game.
“Get out of here with that,” he said. “He gets hit just like anybody else. I’m not going to put a pillow underneath his head before I take him to the ground. But I’m not going to do anything extra. Going against him changes nothing for me. It doesn’t change my mindset at all.”
Landry was sick sitting out
Receiver Jarvis Landry was almost sick to his stomach having to miss the first game of his seven-year NFL career against the Jets after being identified as a high-risk contact to linebacker B.J. Goodson, who tested positive for Covid-19 last Saturday.
“Yeah, I would have rather damn near just had Covid myself,” Landry said. “It is all good. That was the situation. Now, we are here, and I am just happy that everybody is healthy for the guys who were inactive and are now active. Hopefully, we get those other guys back here pretty soon.”
But he understood why he had to sit out, along with receivers Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and Donovan Peoples-Jones. All are back for the Pittsburgh game after having just one full practice on Friday after a tumultuous week disrupted by Covid protocols.
“We put these plans in place to make sure that we can play football, and that is what we wanted to do ultimately,” Landry said. “They have been strict about those protocols. I know as a team and even myself … we have been trying to do everything or we have been doing everything that we can to make sure that it has not entered our building, and unfortunately, it has.”
When Landry was traded by the Dolphins to the Browns in March, 2018, Landry was outspoken in saying he intended to help change the culture in the franchise. On the eve of helping the Browns to end their 18-year playoff drought, he conceded the burden to finish the deal is on him and other leaders of the team.
“I feel the weight of it,” Landry said.
“All of our dreams and our goals are aligned to be able to play these meaningful games, get into the playoffs and win championships here in Cleveland. I think the weight is not just on my shoulders, but it is on everybody’s shoulders. I think everybody wants this really, really badly.”
Brownie bits
Chad O’Shea, receivers coach and pass game coordinator, will miss the Steelers game after testing positive for Covid-19. Stefanski said his duties would be assumed by Callie Brownson, chief of staff. Brownson became the first woman to serve as a position coach on an NFL game day when she replaced tight ends coach Drew Petzing in the Jacksonville game due to the birth of his first child. “We will not miss a beat there,” Stefanski said of Brownson stepping in for O’Shea …
Stefanski on the loss of cornerback Denzel Ward due to a positive Covid test: “Wish we had him out there, but I have a ton of faith in the guys who we are going to put out there. He was out recently so we know we can win with our guys because I have seen it.” …
Other than players on Covid reserve, the only player ruled out of the game was rookie offensive lineman Nick Harris (knee) …
After the most tumultuous seven days of the Browns’ season, in which the team lost at least five key players to Covid reserve, one assistant coach, and one full day of practice, Stefanski summed up the team’s preparation this way: “I think we are where we need to be. Again, we have not missed a beat in the Zoom meetings and the mental aspect of this. We got our work done Wednesday. We got some extra work done today. I am comfortable with where we are.”