Going into their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns players got a glimpse of what they might have had to deal with after watching last week's Monday Night Football.
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings was hit below the belt by Carolina Panthers safety Trevon Moehrig which resulted in a fine. But the Browns figured out, firsthand, exactly why Moehrig went after Jennings.
During the Browns' loss to San Francisco on Sunday, multiple players took notice of Jennings' on-field chatter that went much further than your typical smack talk. Shelby Harris went on a justified rant in his explanation, after the game, and of course Myles Garrett was also asked about the incident.
“I can’t speak for how he was raised, but if you’ve got nothing good to say, don’t say something to somebody," Garrett started, when responding to the Jennings situation.
Myles Garrett did his best to keep his Browns teammates focused on the task at hand when tension and drama threatened
"He had a lot to say that was demeaning and disparaging towards some of our players. I was just trying to separate everybody. I tried to go up and ask what the problem was, and he start coming at me. I mean, some guys just roll like that," Garrett went on.
Garrett handled himself well, as we would expect at this point in his career. But it likely wasn't easy to do. No man would react calmly to hearing another offer demeaning comments about one's family, wives and children.
And, as any sane person would agree with, Garrett maintained the obvious: that doesn't belong in the game.
"I don’t feel like that belongs in the game but, hey, if that works for him, or them, more power to them," he said. "I’m just trying to keep my guys focused on the game and not worried about stuff outside of it, because we’re focused about what’s on the field.”
Garrett is about as intimidating a presence as you'll find in today's NFL, but for him to operate in this manner and resist responding out of anger or resentment is impressive. This is yet another feather in his cap as the leader of this football team.
The attitude and leadership displayed by Garrett, for a while now, has yet to really rub off on the culture of the team. Hopefully, it soon leads Cleveland to winning ways.
For now, we'll enjoy his leadership and ability to respond amid difficult situations.