Lawrence: Daily Battles With Smith Will Eventually Pay Off

[morasp]

Nick Eatman DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ever since the Cowboys drafted him in the second round of the NFL Draft back in early May, DeMarcus Lawrence said being an NFL player wasn’t exactly “official.”

Despite being a second-round pick (34thoverall) and participating in rookie minicamps, OTA practices and even part of a full-team minicamp, the missing piece was signing the dotted line to his contract.


Lawrence was able to complete that process on Wednesday, which is seemingly the final step to reality.

“It feels official now. It’s real,” Lawrence said this week, just minutes after he signed his four-year contract worth about $5.5 million. “I’m not saying I was ever really worried about. That’s something I let my agent control. But until you sign and officially become a Dallas Cowboy … I’m just excited to get that out of the way and now it’s all about football.”

If there was the slightest bit of the distraction for Lawrence this offseason, that has to be a good sign for the Cowboys, who seem more than pleased with the rookie’s progress. Although the pads have to come on, Lawrence has been highly competitive in practice, especially in the one-on-one battles with Tyron Smith, a Pro Bowler who is now considered one of the best left tackles in the league.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/a...Pay-Off-/dab24b96-3026-4359-a64a-cedd958c3c96

 

[Nova]

Dude looks bigger than 6'3" 250

 

[jazzcat22]

I think he can show why he is worth 2 draft picks. And will surprise some people that were against this.
I'm still not even sure at this point, until we see actual play, but have a good feeling about this [which means nothing to anyone but myself].

 

[Doomsday101]

I found this comment by Marinelli very encouraging. Looking forward to seeing him when the pads come on

“This kid has some strength to him,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was. He’s got some power moves that he uses to his advantage. You don’t always see that from young guys. They have to get in (the weight room) and eventually it’s something they can add to their game. But he’s got that power right now. I think that’s going to help him this year.”

 

[Bullflop]

Lawrence seems more like a guy who's less about BS and more about getting the job done. If he's already giving Smith his money's worth of trouble, he should be fine when it comes to what the rest of the league has to offer. Gotta like what we're hearing thus far.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I found this comment by Marinelli very encouraging. Looking forward to seeing him when the pads come on

“This kid has some strength to him,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was. He’s got some power moves that he uses to his advantage. You don’t always see that from young guys. They have to get in (the weight room) and eventually it’s something they can add to their game. But he’s got that power right now. I think that’s going to help him this year.”

Just read the same thing. This kid is gonna be good for a long time.

 

[Doomsday101]

Just read the same thing. This kid is gonna be good for a long time.

That is my hope. I know most of us have sort of writen the defense off this season and while my expectation for the defense is on the modest side I do look forward to seeing these young guys get after it this year. We have some young vets who will be in their 2nd year in this defense it will be interesting to see how much they improve.

 

[morasp]

I found this comment by Marinelli very encouraging. Looking forward to seeing him when the pads come on

“This kid has some strength to him,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was. He’s got some power moves that he uses to his advantage. You don’t always see that from young guys. They have to get in (the weight room) and eventually it’s something they can add to their game. But he’s got that power right now. I think that’s going to help him this year.”

They had Crawford on the break and he said Lawrence is hungry like him and kept saying because they were junior college transfers they had something to prove.

 

[Bullflop]

I found this comment by Marinelli very encouraging. Looking forward to seeing him when the pads come on

“This kid has some strength to him,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was. He’s got some power moves that he uses to his advantage. You don’t always see that from young guys. They have to get in (the weight room) and eventually it’s something they can add to their game. But he’s got that power right now. I think that’s going to help him this year.”

Yep, if he's got THAT going for him IN ADDITION to the quickness we already know he has, things are, indeed, looking up. Those are the two things that make DE's excellent at what they do. Very encouraging to see what we're seeing so far.

 

[Doomsday101]

They had Crawford on the break and he said Lawrence is hungry like him and kept saying because they were junior college transfers they had something to prove.

I think a lot of guys have some things to prove this year. Reading on MO and the work he has been putting in, Carter showing some very positive signes all bode well for this unit. I hope the fact that so many are writing the defense off helps to push and motivate this group.

 

[morasp]

I think a lot of guys have some things to prove this year. Reading on MO and the work he has been putting in, Carter showing some very positive signes all bode well for this unit. I hope the fact that so many are writing the defense off helps to push and motivate this group.

Absolutely. Marinelli seems to have a knack for getting players to push themselves. I remember a shot during the last Eagles game last year and Defensive lineman were gassed laying down on the field they were so tired. When you listen to some of his quotes you get an idea of what they hear every practice.

 

[Nova]

Lawrence seems more like a guy who's less about BS and more about getting the job done. If he's already giving Smith his money's worth of trouble, he should be fine when it comes to what the rest of the league has to offer. Gotta like what we're hearing thus far.

From what I've heard he's not really giving Tyron too much trouble. The last report I heard was that Tyron was pretty much giving him nothing and the beat reporter was kind of concerned that Lawrence would lose motivation because of it.

I don't think that's a bad sign. Tyron is a tough, tough match-up for any pass rusher.

 

[Bullflop]

From what I've heard he's not really giving Tyron too much trouble. The last report I heard was that Tyron was pretty much giving him nothing and the beat reporter was kind of concerned that Lawrence would lose motivation because of it.

I don't think that's a bad sign. Tyron is a tough, tough match-up for any pass rusher.

I've heard my share of the good reports saying it's pretty even -- probably from other writers. Perhaps it depends to some extent on who's observing the action and interpreting it in whichever perspective they're seeing it. In any case, he's a rook. It'll take time.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Funny how in the earlier reports he was owning Smith. Now they say Smith isn't letting him do a thing.

From what I've heard he's not really giving Tyron too much trouble. The last report I heard was that Tyron was pretty much giving him nothing and the beat reporter was kind of concerned that Lawrence would lose motivation because of it.

I don't think that's a bad sign. Tyron is a tough, tough match-up for any pass rusher.

Yep. Same here.

 

[waving monkey]

Going back over old scars. the trade value points Dallas gave up for Lawrence was somewhere around 620.
That puts value spent at 30th pick in the 1st rd. So in my mind Lawrence should be judged on does
he preform as good as say Dominique Easley who was taken at 29. That's pretty tough competition
if some of us are correct.Also, DT and DE are two different positions.

He isn't disappointing so far. Mid season might be telling.
I know this is beaten to death but the story isn't over.

 

[Bungarian]

From what I've heard he's not really giving Tyron too much trouble. The last report I heard was that Tyron was pretty much giving him nothing and the beat reporter was kind of concerned that Lawrence would lose motivation because of it.

I don't think that's a bad sign. Tyron is a tough, tough match-up for any pass rusher.

Link?

 

[Bowdown27]

I loved this pick when it happened. Everyone complained about the 3rd rounder but I guarantee he's worth it. Kid is gonna make an impact.

 

[Nova]

Link?

Sorry. It was on the radio during Mike Fisher's weigh in on GBag 105.3.

"HE'S IN THE BUILDIIIIIING"

 

[Nova]

I loved this pick when it happened. Everyone complained about the 3rd rounder but I guarantee he's worth it. Kid is gonna make an impact.

I think he's going to be better than Ealy, who likely would've been the pick there. Will he be better than Ealy+Turner? That's a much steeper task.

But yeah, I like the player. He seems like he's got that 'edge' about him.

 

[ufcrules1]

I think he can show why he is worth 2 draft picks. And will surprise some people that were against this.
I'm still not even sure at this point, until we see actual play, but have a good feeling about this [which means nothing to anyone but myself].

He may end up being a great player but no way in hell was he worth 2 draft picks. It was not smart at all to give up our 3rd. When a team is in rebuild mode and is years away from competing for a super bowl, it is very important they get their top 3 picks. Those guys should all be starters. Last years 3rd was Williams and Wilcox. Both starters.