They walked onto the grass to watch Joe Judge’s Giants, three predators of yesteryear who caught the baton from Lawrence Taylor and became Michael Strahan’s partners in crime during the championship glory days with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning.
Dexter Lawrence knew who they were all right. He knew he wasn’t seeing ghosts. He knew that was Osi Umenyiora standing alongside Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. He knew all about the Big Blue tradition of relentless, terrorizing pass rush that they restored and represented.
“It definitely made me a fan of the Giants growing up,” Lawrence told The Post, “ ’cause I saw the pass rush … very inspiring guys like Strahan, Tuck, Osi, Jason Pierre-Paul, like all of those guys growing up watching them rush the passer. That’s what inspired me to try to keep the tradition going kinda thing.”
When Lawrence posed for photos with general manager Dave Gettleman, following his drafting with the 17th-overall pick in 2019, Gettleman beamed and said to no one in particular: “I got me a Hog Molly.”
He got him a Hog Molly who is more than a one-dimensional run stuffer. Leonard Williams will be a marked man following his breakout 2020 season (career-high 11.5 sacks) and Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will be counting on Lawrence (2.5 sacks a rookie, 4 sacks last season) to join the likes of Lorenzo Carter and rookie Azeez Ojulari to make the old Giants pass rushers proud again.
Lawrence’s baby fat has been reduced, his face appears thinner, a personal chef will be hired soon following some test runs and Sexy Dexy is as conditioned as a 6-foot-4, 340-ish pound man can possibly be.
“Last year I felt better than my first year, this year I feel better than my second year,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence chuckled when asked how much double-teaming he encountered last season.
“I don’t really know the percentage or how many snaps, but it’s just learning how to play through a double team, learning how to not let it affect my game,” Lawrence said, “little things like that kinda take me to that next level.”
That next level meaning what?
“Ultimate goal just to be legendary,” Lawrence said. “Whatever it takes to be legendary.”
No one should expect Sexy Dexy to be a double-digit sacker, but he will push the pocket for certain, and free up Williams and Ojulari and Carter for mayhem on the quarterback.
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“I set my goals to dominate,” Lawrence said. “Just knowing that I did everything I could, I just exhausted every moment. I gotta line with the results after that.”
He is The Jolly Blue Giant, beloved by his teammates. And by his coaches.
“He’s a tremendous teammate, number one, and he’s obviously very physically talented,” Judge said. “He’s a big, athletic man, but when you’re with him in the locker room, when you’re with him in the cafeteria, traveling, he’s a guy that can really lighten the room. He’s got that ability to flip the switch on the field and go from being that big, jolly guy to locked in and playing intense on the field. … We expect him to take daily steps going forward with daily improvement in the system on defense.”
Asked how much of a help he can be rushing the passer, Judge said: “Well, all those guys can be a help. That ties together with how the back end plays as well to buy the time to get to the passer up front, but we’ve got to stop the run first, put them in passing situations.”
But he does have some pass rush ability, correct?
“Yeah,” Judge said. “absolutely.”
The Big Blue pass rush will be aided by the genius of Graham and by a loaded secondary.
“Give us a little extra time, give them a little less time to cover,” Lawrence said. “Everything like that works together.”
Ojulari is a smaller freakish athlete who could make an immediate impact.
“Definitely fast off the ball,” Lawrence said. “He gives a lot of effort and is getting better every day.”
Ojulari, who trained over the offseason with left tackle Andrew Thomas, his former Georgia teammate, and tight end Evan Engram, is a willing listener and learner.
“I’m just trying to grow every single day,” Ojulari said.
In 2020, Carter’s third season was sabotaged by a ruptured Achilles tendon in Week 5. It is time for him to be more than a tease and better his career sack high of 4.5 from 2019.
Lawrence didn’t pay attention to the critics who labeled him strictly a run-stuffer coming out of Clemson.
“I know I can stop the run, and I can rush the passer, it’s just developing those skills more,” he said. “I’m just out to prove myself daily, and just be the best complete football player I can be.”
If they ever start calling Dexter Lawrence “Sacksy Dexy,” Big Blue will be back in business.