Defensive Lineman Dexter Lawrence
…Yeah, pretty much. I turned the corner, and I thought I caught a cramp, but I guess it was more than that. It felt like a cramp, so I guess it was a little bit more than that.
Q: Obviously, you haven't practiced this week. So, what have you been able to do?
A: I've been getting on the treadmill, going in the pool, underwater treadmill, rehabbing it, working it out, just trying to get it to feel good.
Q: The only game you've missed in your career, I think, was from COVID-19. So, it obviously takes a lot to keep you off the field. I don't know if it's a streak, but what does that Ironman reputation mean to you?
A: I always want to be available. I always want to be the one to help my team get a chance to win. So, that's what I'm fighting to do. Just see how I feel leading up to the game.
Q: How do you look at your chances at this point? How do you view it personally?
A: Honestly, I've been getting better. Even just after the day it happened, at first it was real tight, and just throughout the week I've been rehabbing, recovering, and it's been loosening up, so I've been feeling good.
Q: So, you give yourself a chance maybe?
A: Of course. Always.
Q: I don't know if quotes from the other side ever make it to your attention, but the one guy on defense (Patriots Head Coach and General Manager Bill) Belichick singled out as a guy who is game wrecker is you. Considering who he is, does that mean something to you?
A: Oh, yeah. That's my goal every week, wreck the game. That's done by being disruptive, causing quarterbacks to panic, think about would you want to run the ball, things like that. So yeah, I love that compliment.
Q: It's interesting because you only have one sack, but you've been kind of right in the quarterback's face all season…
A: I mean, and it causes turnovers, you know? That's the biggest thing. I'm not going to always get the sack, we're not going to always get the sack, but if we can create a turnover by affecting the quarterback, that's a positive, too.
Q: Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) told us that he walked in a defensive meeting for the front seven and (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) was up actually leading it. I said I would expect that from (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke) or Dex. What does it say that Kayvon was taking that kind of ownership?
A: We kind of let that happen just so he can learn and at the same time have us listen to him, and let's see how he thinks about it. Everybody knows how we think about it and how me and Bobby see things. It's good to see it from a different perspective, from a guy that's growing as a player in the league.
