After the Browns hosted the Steelers on October 1, Cleveland defensive end Jared Verse had some things to say about the Steelers. More recently, Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward had some things to say about the things Verse had to say, in advance of Sunday’s rematch.
On Thursday, Verse said some more things.
“I’m not worried about Cam, I’m not worried about their O-line, I’m not worried about nobody they got on their team,” Verse said. “We’re out there to go dominate. We’re about to make Pittsburgh ours on Saturday — on Sunday.”
While Verse didn’t completely stick the landing, the point is a strong one. And it turns up the heat on a rivalry that has suddenly taken on much more significance, especially since both teams are 5-2.
The Verse comments rank right up there with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s notorious “Browns is the Browns” remark from the days before a 2020 wild-card playoff game, in which the Browns blew out the Steelers. From Cleveland’s perspective, the most pointed pregame comments about the Steelers came when former Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren caught the attention of the league office by saying of then-rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, ''One rule they used to tell me: Kill the head and the body’s dead.”
Of course, the most significant on-field incidents happened in 2019, when Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hit Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet. Before that, Browns defensive tackle Joe “Turkey” Jones nearly broke the neck of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw during a game in 1976.