Rush to judgment
Despite the noise to contrary, Lawrence’s production where it needs to be for Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — The noise surrounding the early season play of Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is beginning to sound like he’s struggling.
He’s not struggling; if anything, he’s right where he needs to be.
Lawrence is typically a fast starter, and his 2 ½ sacks, two tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries through four weeks of the season is down compared with what he’s done previously.
Last season, Lawrence had 5 ½ sacks, eight tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries after four weeks. He did this while battling through a torn labrum and the pressure that comes with being the best defensive player on the field.
But this offseason Lawrence underwent surgery to repair that labrum, missing the offseason work and the West Coast portion of training camp as he recovered. Lawrence had surgery after he signed the richest contract for a 4-3 defensive end in NFL history. If Lawrence would have gotten the surgery before he signed his new deal, he might have participated in some training camp practices.
It was understandable why he delayed the surgery because of his reluctance to play under the franchise tag again. The smart play for Lawrence was to wait until his new contract was concluded before having the surgery.
And now that he’s fully recovered, the expectations of being the best defensive player on the field increase. He hasn’t hid from it.
His recovery from surgery slowed his progress to get into “football shape,” and the missed time is starting to show as the Cowboys reach the quarter pole of a season with high expectations. Many observers believe Lawrence should be a dominating presence, much like his fellow defensive end Robert Quinn.
In two games, Quinn has three sacks, to lead the team, with four quarterback hurries and three tackles for loss. Of course, Quinn participated in a majority of training camp before he fractured his hand and then he missed the first two weeks of the season, serving a suspension for a violation of the NFL performance enhancing policy.
Jerry Jones playfully called Quinn “Gumby” on KRLD-FM on Tuesday morning for his ability to stretch, bend, twist and do everything necessary to rush the passer.
“I think he’s playing like a hair-on-fire player, so to speak,” Jones said. “He’s of outstanding character. He’s fabulous for the locker room. But he’s got some speed. He’s a veteran.
“One of the things he’s always had to work on is running past the quarterback. He’s got such speed, but he’s got what we call ‘Gumby,’ which means he has some speed and he can bend and bend around and bend around a block, a little bit.”
It would seem Quinn is fresher than Lawrence, who participated in a surprisingly 39 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Saints.
The Cowboys have all the confidence in the world Lawrence’s slow start isn’t really a slow start. It’s more about him just getting into better shape as the season progresses than he’s a declining player.
“Oh, I think he always gets a lot of attention,” coach Jason Garrett said Monday of Lawrence.
Against the Saints, Lawrence wasn’t double-teamed while playing in 54.9% of the defensive plays. He was part of a rotation with defensive end Kerry Hyder, who has played wonderfully this season. In one of the biggest plays of the game, a fourth-quarter sack by Jaylon Smith of Teddy Bridgewater, it was Hyder, who provided the pressure up the middle that flushed the Saints quarterback from the pocket.
It was the last drive of the game for the Saints, and it was noticeable that Lawrence was on the sidelines watching at the start. He injured his left leg with about two minutes to go in the game and didn’t return. He appears to be fine and should be ready for the Packers on Sunday.
And when he plays the expectations will not fade.
Until Lawrence is really in “football shape” Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will continue to use him in a rotation. He loves to use a rotation because it keeps fresh players on the field in a defensive scheme that doesn’t blitz much.
Lawrence is at the forefront of this group, and while his numbers are not where many would like to see them, he still gathers attention whether it’s offenses knowing not to run in his direction or linemen being aware of his abilities.
“Slow start, I guess that’s fair,” Jones said on The Fan. “These things have a way, proverbially said, they come in bunches. But I am not at all concerned about him. He’s the incremental part to our pass rush.”