Myles Garrett understands Cleveland's bitter hatred of the Ravens

Myles Garrett is aware of the bad blood between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens before their Week 2 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Garrett has played against the Ravens 14 times in his nine year career, stacking up 8.5 sacks and 33 total tackles against the AFC North foe.

But Browns fans have hated the Ravens long before Garrett was drafted by the Browns in 2017.

This bitter rivalry dates back to 1995 when Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore. To add insult to injury, the Ravens are celebrating their 30th year anniversary on Sunday against Cleveland. Earlier this week, head coach Kevin Stefanski alluded to the fact that his team was not using that celebration as any additional motivation, stating that his team is just focused on their opponent.

But when the team’s best player, Garrett, was asked about the history between these two teams on Friday, he let Browns fans know that he has their back on Sunday.

“I do understand the feelings and the motives behind people’s dislike of them,” Garrett said. “I’m one with the city so I try to carry that on my back when we go in there or when they come to our place.”

Garrett was born one month after Modell announced that the Browns were moving to Baltimore. Born and raised in Texas and growing up a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Garrett has cemented himself as a fabric of Cleveland football history because of his dominant play on the field and his visibility in the community.

While Garrett ruffled some feathers this offseason because of a public trade request and bashing of the Browns during Super Bowl media week, he was able to mend things by signing a record-setting four-year contract worth $160 million.

The All-Pro defensive end also owns a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers and is routinely seen courtside at their games. 

This week, the Browns have reignited their rivalry with the Ravens. It started when wide receiver Jerry Jeudy stated that Baltimore’s secondary poses “no challenges” to the Browns. Later, Grant Delpit garnered a reaction from Baltimore’s superstar running back Derrick Henry when he stated the NFL’s top running back was “not hard” to tackle.

All of this trash talk is intertwined with the fact that the Browns have a big piece of Ravens history on their sideline. Joe Flacco is starting his first game in Baltimore since 2018, when John Harbaugh replaced him with Lamar Jackson. Flacco has downplayed his return to Baltimore, but it’s undeniably a big piece of this matchup.

While Cleveland’s starting quarterback and head coach are both trying to downplay some of the bitter hatred between these two franchises, their best player understands the history and is carrying that into Sunday’s game.

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