Myles Garrett isn’t mad at Baker Mayfield’s recent remarks, but he’s motivated.
The Browns and Panthers square off in Week 1. Baker Mayfield, who was traded from the former to the latter this offseason after Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson, reportedly told NFL Media that he’s going to “f–k up” his former team, and now we’re in the reaction-to-the-quotes stage of the news cycle.
Garrett, the star defensive end for the Browns, had a measured response to Mayfield’s alleged quotes.
“We’ve known he has that type of demeanor and that attitude, and for better or for worse, it works for him,” Garrett told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “And I’m not mad at him using that fire and that chip on his shoulder to help him play to the level he has. He’s been successful in what he’s done.’
“Talking like that and moving the way he does, it’s worked for him,” he said. “He uses that for fire, for motivation and I think speaking like that helps amp him up.”
Nonetheless, Garrett acknowledged the obvious: This provides bulletin board material for the Browns.
“It does the same for us as well,” he said. “We’ll take it and we’ll use it, and I’m hoping for a great matchup. I don’t think any less of him because he’s going out there and doing the same thing he did when he was with us. He’s the same guy personally, and maybe we’ll see a different Baker when we get on the field. Who knows?”
It’s an age old debate whether bulletin board material is truly meaningful in games — these are highly paid professionals, and winning in and of itself should be all the motivation they need. But, it seems that slights, real or perceived, can be an incremental driver for competitors of a certain mindset.
The Panthers are 2.5-point favorites for the season opener on Sept. 11.
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