AFC Notes: Matt Canada, Myles Garrett, Kenny Pickett, Browns, Steelers

Browns

According to Trench Warfare’s Brandon Thorn, Browns DE Myles Garrett is tied for third in a metric he created called True Pressure Rate. Thorn notes that only one of Garrett’s pressures this season has not been considered to be high-quality.

“No, this is not a typo, Myles Garrett is posting an absurd PQR of 16.0, meaning all but one of his pressures this season have been high-quality,” Thorn wrote. “That is hard to comprehend, but does fit the theme from last year’s data where Garrett’s PQR of 3.12 was also the best in the NFL, although not this disproportionate to his peers (second in PQR last year was Micah Parsons at 2.27).”

Steelers

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (knee) said his availability depends on how he feels before Week 5’s game and is following the direction of their medical staff. 

“It depends how the week goes and how I feel Sunday,” Pickett said, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “I took what I needed to take in terms of what they were telling me — the doctors and the trainers we have here.”

Pickett recalled the sack on 4th-and-1 that resulted in his knee injury, describing he should’ve worked through his progressions faster. 

“Um, you know, get back to [looking at] Calvin [Austin III] possibly faster, from watching it,” Pickett said. “We wanted to take a look at the front side and get to the backside. I tried to extend with my legs and make a play. It just didn’t work out.”

A clip of RB Najee Harris and HC Mike Tomlin exchanging words on the sideline in Week 4 has been spreading on social media. When asked about the clip, Harris said the situation is being overblown. 

“In the bigger picture, I understand it. I might argue with them a lot. You guys seen that?” Harris said. “It may look like something else that it’s not. … We’re good. It’s all good. It ain’t like nothing where it’s becoming an issue or nothing. We’re just in the beginning of the year. We’re trying to get things going right now and we’re not blinking or nothing like that.”

Steelers

Steelers OC Matt Canada said his comment about the team not being able to come back after being down big was taken out of context.

“The conversation was why we ran more runs and play-action against the Raiders versus the opening game,” Canada said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “And why was that? As you look at a stat sheet, did it look that way? You’re not going to stick to your running plan and the plan of running play-action when you’re down three scores. All we care about here is winning. So the conversation was, at that point, the plan wasn’t built to do that. Obviously, I believe we were going to win until the end. I kept throwing it to the point of our lineman had to do what, 46 dropbacks? Kenny [Pickett] had to do that. At no point was that conversation meant in that regard. I certainly believe he knew that. And obviously it was taken wrong, if not. But of all the things we want to talk about and say, at no point do I doubt our players doubt where we are, doubt we can come back. No doubts. I was literally saying any football person would tell you you’re down three scores with, what’s that, 18 minutes to go, you got to start going faster. You got to start being in a two-minute mode. You have to score more points. That’s how that came out, and certainly everybody on the offense is well aware of that.”

Canada added that he believes his offense can come back from behind and has faith in the unit’s ability to put up points.

“I firmly believe we’re built to come from behind,” Canada said. “I firmly believe with 3 minutes still in the third quarter, we were still going to win the game. This is obviously talking all the way back to the opener. Again, we didn’t score enough points. We didn’t win the game. That’s the bottom line. But that was all that was said. I mean, I’ve stood up here for every time and said whatever it is, I’m not placing any blame anywhere but me. But I’ve said every time I believe 1000% in our players and our coaches.”

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett added that he does believe the team has the ability to win in any situation but added that the offense needs to be designed to put up points in any situation.

“We got to be designed to put points up and win games, that’s kind of what I care about,” Pickett said. “I don’t care if we’re behind or we’re ahead or whatever the situation may be. It’s our job to put, you know, more points on the board than the other team does. So that’s what our goal and design needs to be. I think any game we’re in, we have a chance to win no matter what.“