Every pro football coaching staff has their “guys.” Bill Parcells had his. Tom Coughlin had his and so on. This current New York Giants staff is slowly finding out who their “guys” are.
We know who they aren’t, that’s for sure, after some surprise cuts and some doghouse demotions the past few months.
On defense, coordinator Wink Martindale is making his guys known. He naturally loves his safeties and is partial to anyone who can rush the passer but one player has made it up to the top of his list, not just here with the Giants, but in his decades-long coaching career.
Interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence is fast becoming one of Martindale’s all-time favorite players.
“He’s maybe one of my most favorite players that I’ve ever been around in my life. He’s a great guy first of all — a great person. And he’s a problem. I mean, he is athletic,” Martindale told reporters on Thursday.
Lawrence, the 6-foot-4, 342-pound former first-round pick from Clemson, is playing at a high-level thus far in Martindale’s defense.
Lawrence is not only productive, he’s durable. He’s played 73 percent of the defensive plays in the Giants’ first two games. That’s high for a defensive lineman, a position that has become more rotational over the years. And among those plays was also one that stood out to Martindale — chasing down Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“I told the whole defense on Monday — the play where he chased Baker Mayfield down and got him short of the sticks on that scramble, I don’t know (if) in my career I’ve ever seen a big man like that make a play like that. And that’s the kind of effort and leadership that he brings to the defense,” Martindale said.
Dexter has an upbeat vibe to him, which s another reason Martindale could be drawn to him, but the real lure is his desire to play — a lot. He also lines up on special teams for his kick blocking ability on field goal and PAT attempts.
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