Jared Verse is still angry about the play that nearly put him on his head in Pittsburgh, and not only at the Steelers. The Cleveland Browns defensive end said he was bothered that teammates didn’t step in after Pittsburgh Steelers guard Mason McCormick slammed him during an extra-point attempt. Speaking in Berea, Ohio, Verse didn’t hide how much it bothered him.
Derek Barnett took a similar hit on what Verse believed was the next field goal, and Verse said he “lost it” then “because it was my brothers and my teammates.” On a Chris Boswell kick, Verse had leaped when McCormick cut his legs out and drove him down, drawing a flag. He came close to landing headfirst. His worry stretched well beyond football.
He also shouldered part of the blame for his pregame talk, saying he hadn’t told teammates beforehand how he planned to speak about Pittsburgh. I didn’t do enough on my part. We all got to pick it up,” Verse said.
Before kickoff, Verse accused the Steelers of playing “too dirty” and vowed to “make Pittsburgh ours.” Steelers star Cam Heyward answered that it would be settled between the lines. Pittsburgh won the Week 8 game 27-6, and Cleveland slipped out of the AFC North lead. Coach Todd Monken’s message afterward was for his players to “speak with your play.” Verse 26 came to Cleveland in the Myles Garrett trade, and his next chance to back up the talk comes against the New Orleans Saints.
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