Browns' Kevin Stefanski weighs in on Myles Garrett complaints

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski understands why All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett routinely feels frustrated over a lack of penalties called against opposing blockers.

"He has respect for this game," Stefanski said about Garrett during a midweek news conference, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. "...It’s something I talk to the officials about every week leading up to the game is keeping an eye on the guys that are blocking him. So it really comes with being a great player. We want the other teams to play within the rules, obviously, but it hasn’t slowed him down. I mean, he continues to play at a very high level."

Garrett offered complaints last season regarding alleged non-calls before he emerged this fall as a favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award and as a possible Most Valuable Player candidate. Following this past Sunday's 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he specifically said that "the officiating was a travesty today" and that Jaguars players got away with holding and hands-to-the-face penalties on multiple occasions.

While ESPN stats show Garrett (13 sacks) enters Week 15 just two sacks behind the league leader for that category, he hasn't recorded an official quarterback takedown since he injured his shoulder in Cleveland's 29-12 Week 12 loss at the Denver Broncos on Nov. 26. 

"The coordinators when they’re getting ready to game plan for him, the game plan is built around stopping him," Stefanski added about Garrett. "So he gets a ton of attention via tight end chips, running back chips, slides to him and he’s a difficult guy to block. So, there’s always going to be plays that the offensive line is holding on for dear life, sometimes literally. So he fights through it. I know he was frustrated, but he’s just going to got to keep and he will keep playing and not let that get in the way of him playing really good football."

Perhaps remarks from Garrett and Stefanski will help the Browns buy some calls from the officials for this Sunday's home game against the 5-8 Chicago Bears. As of late Thursday morning, oddschecker listed Cleveland as a three-point home favorite for that matchup.