Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli gave defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence one heck of a nickname.
"He calls me Deac," Lawrence said Thursday on KRLD-FM. "I think after Deacon Jones. That was my favorite pass rusher ... Deacon Jones."
The 2014 second-round pick out of Boise State hasn't had much of an opportunity to show us the "Deac" in him. After just seven regular-season games in 2014 (he fractured his foot in training camp) we were unofficially introduced to Lawrence in a playoff game against the Lions -- a mix of good and bad. Lawrence picked up a fumble and attempted to score but ended up fumbling himself, handing the ball back to Detroit. On the following drive, he executed the strip sack that locked up the game.
In 2015, he'll have an opportunity to shine in what is being billed as an all-star defense.
With Greg Hardy only serving a four-game suspension, Tyrone Crawfordprimed to make the leap and Randy Gregory looking like an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, there might not be enough good blockers out there to contain Lawrence one-on-one.
"Greg (Hardy) ... he's just violent. He don't care how he gets there, but he's gonna get there. Randy (Gregory) ... he's long, lanky. His first two steps off the ball ... you're gonna have to catch up real fast," Lawrence said. "I try to work on my fundamentals and my technique. We all got different styles but out for the same goal."
