DeMarcus Lawrence: "We Have Everything We Need In This Room"

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

How are you doing?

DeMarcus Lawrence (0:01)

All is well.

SPEAKER_1 (0:06)

DeMarcus, I guess just where you guys are at right now is the defense. Obviously, there's been a lot of good. I'm sure there's things you want to get better. How do you sort of assess where you guys are at eight games in?

DeMarcus Lawrence (0:15)

Well, I mean, we made a season with four and four.

I feel like, you know, us as a defense, we write what we need to be, you know, all honesty, you know, it's just really, you know, the game of football and what I see. I think, you know, us as a team, Coach Macdonald, you know, see it all the same. And it's, you know, just one play at a time, you know, complementary football, you know, and that's, you know, our style. So, you know, it's kind of hard to, you know, just sit up here and, you know, just focus on, you know, just one unit when we are collective.

SPEAKER_3 (1:01)

What gives you the confidence that you're right where you need to be? What do you see?

DeMarcus Lawrence (1:07)

I see the fundamentals are there. Our technique, you know, our speed, you know, our tenacity, you know.

And then it's just, you know, we have everything that we need in this room. You know, it's just all about, you know, us sticking together, you know, playing complementary football and, you know, stacking one play at a time.

SPEAKER_1 (1:29)

What's going to be the key to that, sticking together and getting that done?

DeMarcus Lawrence (1:33)

The key to it is not turning over the ball, takeaways on defense, giving our offenses, you know, multiple opportunities to score the ball, complementary football, you know.

When, you know, our special teams is on the field, kickoff is the first play of defense, you know, good field position, so we can keep them down there. So, you know, just the small things, you know, and I think, you know, when, you know, situations like on the kickoff with the flag happening, you know, in the early fourth quarter, you know, those little situations like that, you know, last week, and, you know, put more stress on your team. So, you know, like I said, complementary football, you know, take advantage in taking advantage of, you know, the situation that we're in.

SPEAKER_3 (2:19)

How much do you take on your shoulders in those situations, to have the conversation, to say that was a mistake that can't happen again?

DeMarcus Lawrence (2:27)

Yeah.

See, that's the special thing about this team. You know, we're pretty quick to identify, you know, our mistakes, understanding, you know, as a whole, like, you know, how we have to play our style of football. So, you know, we just, you know, stick to what we know, you know, at the end of the day, you know, when you're playing this game, you should never look for the light at the end of the tunnel. No matter, you know, what's your position, if you're the best team in the league or the worst team in the league, you know, the worst player or the best player. You should always, you know, keep your head down, trying to, you know, continue to work, to get better each and every day. And, you know, that's the whole process of this game.

SPEAKER_4 (3:10)

DeMarcus, the one area defensively that seems to be a problem is the red zone.

What do you kind of see down there? I mean, theoretically, it should play in your favor. They're less grass to cover, but what do you kind of see as being the little bit of difference that happens down there?

DeMarcus Lawrence (3:25)

Yeah, I see they're attacking my C-gap. You know, I have to aim my awareness and play better football down there in the red zone.

To, you know, I'm man enough to, you know, sit up here and, you know, tell the world, like, you know, I understand what's going on, you know, I see what's going on, but also it's my responsibility, you know, to make sure it doesn't happen.

SPEAKER_1 (3:49)

Conventionalism is, you know, quarterback goes down and a team can be in trouble. You guys have already played with Drew Lock this year and had a lot of success. As a team, how much confidence do you have knowing that, you know, he can step in and do the job?

DeMarcus Lawrence (4:02)

So I was actually thinking about this the other night, you know, and what was it, 2022 when Carson Wentz went down and Nick Foles had to come in for Super Bowl or whatever.