NY Giants veteran continues to assert his dominance over opponents

EAST RUTHERFORD ‒ At one level within the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was standing over the soccer ready for the offense to break the huddle.

He needed to remind these tasked to block him when play resumed of how troublesome a problem that was going to be.

“That's just having fun,” Lawrence stated with a chuckle. He pauses earlier than letting out one other giggle, insisting: “There's nothing to that, not too much; it's just letting them know, ‘I'm here.'”

Trying to block the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Lawrence isn't any laughing matter. He's the perfect participant on the crew, and each nice protection has a centerpiece ‒ Lawrence is the unquestioned centerpiece of the Giants' protection.

Asked how a lot of these pre-snap exchanges on the line of scrimmage is Lawrence telling opponents they can not block him, he quipped, flashing one other smile: “A good bit. A good bit.”

Lawrence stays Pro Football Focus' highest-graded inside defensive lineman within the NFL.

Through three video games, the 26-year-old is tied for first with three sacks, tops with a 20.9% cross rush win charge and second with 17 whole pressures and 12 quarterback hurries.

Lawrence has compelled his manner into the dialog. Opponents sometimes cannot sluggish him down with out sending multiple blocker in his path, and even then it is bother, as evidenced by his first of two sacks towards the Browns when he break up a double from left guard Joel Bitonio and left deal with Jedrick Wills Jr.

His presence and impression is simple.

The urgent query this offseason, now that future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Donald has retired: Is it time to name Lawrence the perfect inside defensive lineman within the NFL?

The solely participant that may supply a worthy counter argument is Chiefs star Chris Jones.

“I expect to go out there and be dominant every play and every second. That's my will and my heart that I go out there and play with,” Lawrence stated. “I don't want to let anybody down on this team and I carry that with me everywhere.”

Talk to Giants opponents and there may be one participant they want to make the focus of their offensive sport plan from the second they step contained in the stadium. That would be the case Thursday night time when the Cowboys go to the Giants, who've misplaced six straight video games to Dallas and 13 of their final 14 conferences.

“Dexter is a huge challenge regardless of who you line up with,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said.

For Lawrence to do what he has done while lining up at nose tackle, most of the time straight up against the opposing center, it's akin in some ways to a fullback leading the league in rushing. To his credit, he's been moving up and down the line, leading a front that includes edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux and undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman, who registered his first career sack and recovered a fumble caused by Burns' strip sack against the Browns.

Lawrence knows the perception of him as a football player has changed. Still, he's not satisfied, and with all eyes in the locker room peering in his direction, the motivation to be the best is greater than ever.

Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson saw in Lawrence a lot of the traits possessed by former Giants and Vikings defensive lineman Linval Joseph, now with the Cowboys, when they got together here two years ago.

In their first meeting, Patterson told Lawrence he was going to slide him a few feet to his left on the defensive front: over center rather than playing the bulk of his snaps at 3-technique on the outside shoulder of the guard.

A breakout ensued during Brian Daboll's first year as head coach, and his rise ‒ not just at the position, but league-wide ‒ has continued ever since.

“There's part of his game that he's great at, and I'll take that away from him and say, ‘Right now you can't use it, and if you do, I'm gonna find you,’” Patterson stated. “To get him to understand he has to continue to add different elements to his game if he wants to be as great as he wants to be.”

Lawrence joked with NorthJersey.com prior to the Giants' playoff victory over the Vikings two years in the past that he needed everybody to cease displaying the video clip of what he did to Colts All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. He'd seen it sufficient, and a part of him felt as if an excessive amount of publicity would give away a few of his secrets and techniques.

You know, the play on which Lawrence lifted Nelson off the MetLife Stadium turf and drove him again into the Colts quarterback, who Lawrence took alongside for the trip in an eye-popping sack that helped the Giants clinch their first journey to the playoffs in six years.

The Giants didn't see greatness in that play solely as a result of it was made at Nelson's expense.

They count on dominance from Lawrence irrespective of who he's matched up towards.

Lawrence will seemingly see a whole lot of Cowboys rookie middle Cooper Beebe, and you may wager he'll make his presence felt.

The Giants had eight sacks towards the Browns, their most in a single sport since 2014 when Tom Coughlin was the pinnacle coach and the electrical rookie large receiver from LSU was Odell Beckham Jr. Now it is Malik Nabers.

The final time the Giants sacked a Cowboys quarterback was Dec. 19, 2021, down the stretch of Joe Judge's second and last season as head coach.

Four video games between them and two seasons later, Big Blue remains to be trying to find the subsequent one.

“That's going to change,” Lawrence warned Tuesday.

When the Giants' All-Pro chief makes a promise, foes have been arduous pressed to cease him – from stopping Lawrence from wreaking havoc within the backfield and from protecting his phrase.