The night the Browns drafted Myles Garrett with the first overall choice, six months before he would play his first game, the defensive end boldly stated he was ready to sack Ben Roethlisberger. More than four years later, with the Steelers quarterback nearing the end, Garrett still has a target on Roethlisberger’s back.
Roethlisberger’s appearance in Cleveland on Sunday could mark his final time in FirstEnergy Stadium.
“Hell, I have to send him off, right? If it is,” Garrett said Friday, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “He’s left a huge legacy in Pittsburgh and here, so I’ve got to make sure he doesn’t leave with a win. But got to respect what he’s done and the greatness that he’s had on the football field.”
Garrett has an NFL-leading 9.5 sacks, putting him on a pace to challenge the single-season record of 22.5 set by Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2001.
“Twenty-plus, that’s the goal,” Garrett said. “I mean, the record has been my goal. But if you’re going out there, making an impact, being disruptive and you have 20-plus sacks and add some forced fumbles to it, then I’m going to help my team win and that’s what’s it’s all about.”
Garrett, who has 52 career sacks in 58 games, has sacked Roethlisberger four times in his career. He didn’t face Roethlisberger his rookie season after saying he couldn’t wait to meet the Steelers quarterback and “chop him down.”