Defensive Lineman Dexter Lawrence
Q: What does this mean to you?
A: It's a special time. I'm excited to get this award again. It just shows the hard work and the respect that I'm earning around the league.
Q: I don't know how the breakdown went in terms of where the numbers came out, but we're led to believe it was the players and coaches specifically that helped put you over the top. How much more does it mean to you when you hear that?
A: Like I was saying before, it's more just the respect I'm earning around the league from the coaches to the players. That just goes from my play on the field and what people see on tape.
Q: How would you compare this year for you to last year? Not team-wise but personally.
A: I think I got better in some areas. Still got room to improve, still got to continue learning my position and crafting it up. There are things that now I get all this attention, it's different things that I've got to learn how to play through and different schemes I've got to learn how to play through, stuff like that. All I can do is just keep going out there and giving everything I've got every time I step on the field and that's what I'm going to do.
Q: What are some of those different things that you have to play through?
A: Just different – getting more attention. Team scheming, players scheming. Different things like that. Just knowing that, just playing through the schemes pretty much and the different types of ways they're blocking. They're not always true to their tape, sometimes.
Q: Is that something you've noticed compared to last year, compared to this year, that attention more on you?
A: Yeah – yeah, a lot more.
Q: How do you handle that?
A: I don't get frustrated, I embrace it. It is what it is. I'm not mad at it, I know that's just a sign of respect in a sense. I'm just embracing it and like I said, I'm going to go hard no matter what.
Q: Is there pressure to live up to last year's ranking and now this year's, now next year you'll be expected to do so?
A: I'd say like a little bit, like before, probably before camp. Things like that. But when I get back, I'm still confident in who I am as a player and a person and that just continues to show and that's going to continue to show as long as I can do it.
Q: How much has (Defensive Line Coach) Andre Patterson helped you?
A: A lot. He's brought out—he's helped me craft things that I didn't know I had or knew how to use. He helped me get into positions that usually when I get in, I get stuck or something. He's been a big help. That's my guy. He's just a coach of coaches, honestly. A ton of respect to him and how he just gets me to play and the whole d-line to play. He just knows how to relate to his players and gets us to go.
Q: You're aware of some of the players he's coached over the years?
A: Yeah.
Q: Do you want to be in that group?
A: For sure. That's the goal.
Q: What has (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) done and meant to you the last two years?
A: He puts plays together to put me into some positions to win, and that's kind of what his job is. Coach Dre's job is to help me fight through those positions, to beat guys and things like that. Wink, he's helped me a lot and he's been scheming up things pretty well.
Q: There's always this time of year, especially when the team is losing, speculation about who's going to come back, who doesn't come back. He's part of that speculation, whether he's back or not. How important is it do you think to keep things intact with him and the defense? What's your feeling on that?
A: It sucks learning a new scheme, if that is what happens. So that probably would be the most heartbreaking thing, honestly, and him being just a good leader of men. Things like that would probably be the hardest thing to go about.
Q: With the big contract going into this season, did you feel extra pressure on yourself to perform? Because it seems like nothing bothered you.
A: Like I said, before camp, before I got back, obviously, it's a little—you get to thinking, like, okay, I've got to outperform. But honestly, I've just got to continue to be myself. Whatever happens with me doing that is the end result, and I'm happy with that. I know how hard I work. I'm confident in my work. I know who I am as a player, so I'm confident in that. All that goes a long way.
Q: Have you ever asked (safety) Xavier (McKinney) why he joins the d-line drills?
A: He likes hanging with the big dogs (laughs). That's all. He likes hanging with the big dogs.
Q: Would he tell me that, too?
A: Yeah, probably.
