Film study: What makes Texas A&M phenom Myles Garrett unstoppable
By Murf Baldwin
Published:
One offseason narrative that extremely bothered me was the disrespect of Texas A&M pass-rushing phenom Myles Garrett.
If I had a stack for how many times I heard that all his accomplishments were made against Division I-AA schools, I’d probably own that new 2016 BMW 7-series I have my eye on instead of one about decade older. (I know; woah is me.) But that’s what we tend to do as a society: instead of celebrating greatness, we try our best to figure out a way to diminish it.
Imagine this: An 18-year old true freshman broke the sack record previously held by the biggest athletic freak football has seen in former South Carolina edge-defender Jadeveon Clowney, who at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and all most could do is throw shade on his 11.5 sacks by analyzing it in a negative manner.
You rarely heard that he was by far the best player on a defensive front, and overall defensive unit, that was extremely porous, which made it easier for offensive coordinators to scheme solely against him.
But what better way to quiet the naysayers than to return with a follow-up season that’s making his initial look like child’s play? That’s right, Garrett is quietly trumping his freshman totals while his team looks like a legit contender for an SEC crown, and he’s making clutch plays against elite competition.
I couldn’t go a full season without analyzing the clutch play he made against Arkansas, when it appeared the Hogs were driving for a game-winning score. Matched up against highly touted offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, who was moved to the exterior by Arkansas coach Bret Bielema because he said he’s the most talented lineman he’s ever coached, Garrett exploded from his 7-technique alignment so fast Kirkland was unable to get into any semblance of a kick-step phase.
Kirkland had to turn and run with Garrett, which took away the advantage of keeping his body square to his target and thus shortening his base. From there, Garrett, a 6-foot-4, 262-pound freak, was able to run the arc on his way to a strip sack while Kirkland held onto his jersey for dear life.
The majority of the tilt, Garrett was schemed against by the Hogs aligning a “Y” or H-back to his side or simply chipping him while he was engaged with Kirkland, which was not lost on Garrett.
“Players make big plays and that’s what I’m out here to do,” Garrett said in the post-game presser. “I got my one on one finally, and I went out there and made a big play and we got off the field.”
With another sack in the last game against Mississippi State, Garret increased his total to 7.5 on the season. He’s good against the run and has shown the ability to drop down to a 3- or 5-technique and still be highly effective.
Let’s give this kid his proper due, haters. He’s one of the best the SEC has seen.
Former linebacker/safety Murf Baldwin specializes in diving deep into the Xs and Os of the game with the goal of educating and entertaining while bringing fans closer to their team.
