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Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett studied tape of Julius Peppers to help better his game

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett studied tape of Julius Peppers during the offseason to help better his own game.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is not settling for just being good, and in order to reach the next level of success, why not study the best.

During the offseason, Garrett focused his efforts on not only learning from the plays he put on tape in his rookie year, but also, dedicated plenty of time to watching Carolina Panthers edge-rushing sensation Julius Peppers.

“It was mostly just Julius,” Garrett said prior to the start of training camp. “They made a huge cut-up of him. I actually went back and watched some of my old tape to see how I was rushing to see what I could do better.

“The main thing was my hands because I feel like I’m athletically superior to most of the guys I go against. The difference is I have to use my hands better than the guys who are leading the league in sacks and are at the top of the board.”

Currently in his 17th season in the NFL and 10th with the Panthers, Peppers has registered 154.5 quarterback sacks, which ranks him fourth in league history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

Peppers has registered more sacks than several enshrines in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Jason Taylor, Chris Doleman, Richard Dent, John Randle, Lawrence Taylor, Rickey Jackson and the late Derrick Thomas.

“He didn’t have an extensive range of moves,” Garrett said. “He had maybe three or four moves that he was very proficient at, that he could always use and counter with. If he couldn’t use that move, he knew what to counter with to get open. He was always a step ahead because of how athletic he was.”

In addition to the moves, Garrett learned that on the way to nine Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All Pro appearances and a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, Peppers did so with a level of humility not often seen by successful athletes.

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to show respect to the game, show respect to my teammates and my opponent, but at the end of the day, on the field, you have no friends,” Garrett said.

Despite being limited to 11 games because of ankle injuries and a concussion during his rookie season, Garrett registered 31 total tackles, including 19 solo stops and 12 assists, along with a Browns-best seven sacks and one pass defended in 2017.

Because of that production, Garrett was named to the Pro Football Writers’ Association All-Rookie Team, and although he will compete humbly, there will be no more acceptance of “bull crap from anybody after the whistle, during the whistle.”

“When guys try to sneak stuff in, just got to be incompliant with stuff like that,” Garrett said.

“Guys felt like they could get away with stuff just to see if the ref’s not looking or he’s not paying attention, so just try to maybe not get back at him, but make sure I finish through him during the whistle and not do anything that could jeopardize the team or that series of downs.”

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