Defensive Lineman Dexter Lawrence
Q: …If you let them slip by, you kind of regret them. Do you guys feel like you're at a point now (inaudible)?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: (Inaudible) the first four we lost. Those are hard games, too. They all count for something. But, I think, right now, the division is all pretty square. We've still got opportunities. Our week, this week, just to take care of business and go out there and beat the Eagles.
Q: Any doubt you're playing Sunday?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I'm playing.
Q: You've always kid about it. You wanted to hit (Eagles running back) Saquon (Barkley). Is this a chance?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: Yeah. Like I told him, I had a chance to go against him in practice, in the (former Giants Head Coach) Joe Judge era. Got a couple of tackles in on him then. Now it's time for a full game against him. I know what kind of player he is and his mindset going into games. I'm excited to compete and just beat the Eagles.
Q: There will be no trash talking?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: There's always trash talking.
Q: You've played other teammates before. You played (former Giants offensive lineman) Nick (Gates), with Washington, and stuff like that. This seems a little different though, right? Does it feel like there's a bigger emotional element to this one?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I wouldn't just say that, besides it's the Eagles that we're playing. Like you said, I've been against other guys that were here and then went somewhere else. At the end of the day, to me, it's football. You've got to beat whoever is in front of you and this week it's the Eagles. That's the game plan. I'm excited to compete against Saquon (Barkley) for a full game. Just put my will on him a little bit.
Q: You talk about the guy in front of you, beating the guy in front of you. It's different now. You're not going to have (former Eagles center Jason) Kelce out in front of you. So, what was that like? You put that in perspective last year and were very complimentary of him. But is it going to be different to see a new guy snapping in front of you?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: Not necessarily. He (Eagles center Cam Jurgens) played guard last year a good bit. So, I've seen his game some and obviously watched tape on him this year. It's a man in front of me that has to play the same game as me. I'm excited to just go out there and just compete and keep proving us right in this organization and keep growing.
Q: Cleveland did a pretty good job stopping Saquon last week. Did you see anything on film that stood out that they did well?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I think we've got to stop Saquon from getting going. We've got to clog the holes. We've got to get a lot of guys on him, a lot of bodies on him. He's good at finding the second lane, third lane type of thing. We've got to stop his feet before he gets going because then he's explosive. Elite (running) back. We've got to stop his feet. We've got to beat the guys in front of us on the offensive line and make sure Saquon doesn't get started.
Q: What do you think the reception will be for him on Sunday from the 80,000 non-players?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: No telling. No telling.
Q: What would you like to see happen?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: Honestly, I think he did a lot of good for this organization. But, we've got some tough fans and they're going to bring him in however they feel is right by them. I appreciate what he did for this organization and who he was as a teammate and a person to me, most importantly. But, Sunday is war and he knows that.
Q: You're planning on playing this week. Where are you at physically?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I'm good. I'm where I'm at after every week.
Q: Well, you didn't practice today, so there's no concern for Sunday?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: Just resting, man. Just resting.
Q: Have you spoken to Saquon since he left?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: Yeah, he was at my wedding. We caught up over that time and I told him that whenever we play, it's war and he knows that. Like I said, I'm just excited to play against him for a full game.
Q: Is there something fun about that, the possibility of tackling someone who was a former teammate?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I think it depends on the tackle. If it's a tackle for a loss, then yeah. If he knocks me back a little bit for a couple gains, then no. But I plan on more tackle for losses.
Q: Do you think the Eagles are vulnerable?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I don't know what you mean by that.
Q: Are they beatable? Right as we started here, you said, 'Beat the Eagles,' several times. Just wondering, do you feel confident you're going to do that?
DEXTER LAWRENCE II: I feel confident we can beat anybody. I don't think it's just the Eagles. I don't really play into the emotions. They all can change. I don't really listen to those or pay attention to that. Our goal is to beat the Eagles. Whoever we play next week it's going to be to beat that team and so on and so forth. So, that's just the mindset.
