Dexter Lawrence was still upset about Sunday's loss but was ready to play. If he had been available, the standout defensive tackle would have played Wednesday against the Browns.
He didn't need any more time to fret over the 0-2 start.
“Personally, it pisses me off because I really hate losing,” he said. “It's really hard to lose. I really hate it.”
“For me, that's something I'm not going to continue to accept. I want this team to grow and be as good as we want it to be.” [look] “All week in practice. Just that day. That Sunday, that Thursday, whenever. We have to show up.”
He was talking about every player who has ever worn blue, but defense is the side of the ball he can control, and Sunday's effort just wasn't good enough.
The Giants just couldn't get off the field, allowing the Commanders a whopping 425 yards of total offense, and while they did well in the red zone (Washington failed to score a touchdown six times), it wasn't enough to make up for their other issues.
Whether it was allowing 215 yards rushing, completing 7 of 14 third down attempts for the Commanders and giving them a huge time of possession advantage (37:32 to 22:28) or failing to create turnovers, the Giants know they need to do better.
Far from being an offensive powerhouse, the Commanders scored on every drive except for a knee-down before halftime.
“I think our attention to detail especially on defense wasn't up to par,” linebacker Bobby Okereke said. “The fundamentals of what we do and the technique — eyes, hands, feet. … It's really just about execution — third-down-long situations, anticipating how they're going to attack us, screens, one-on-one matchups, being especially focused on getting out there on third down and putting the offense in good field position.”
Tackling may be his biggest issue right now, and he was sloppy in that area against the Commanders.
Part of it is communication, and the rest is just finishing the play better.
“That can be an issue early in the season. In practice you're playing against your own teammates a lot, so you don't make a lot of tackles, but when the tackles start, guys are fighting to get every yard they can,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “Obviously, it's about each individual guy looking inward and trying to do their job well, but on top of that, we've got to make sure we're all running to the ball and being able to protect everybody if there's a missed tackle.”
Several veteran defensemen have already spoken out.
After Sunday's loss, Brian Barnes criticized the Giants' inability to close out the win, saying his team “needs to be more competitive” and that “if you shoot yourself in the foot, you're shooting yourself in the foot.”
Lawrence has now expressed similar frustrations, something Okereke sees as a positive development.
“This is a call to all of us,” Okereke said, “to really look within ourselves and make sure that the craziness in practice, the intensity in meetings is up to our standards, because we have standards that we're trying to uphold here.”
Lawrence and Okereke believe the defense will take a step forward this week as they see their teammates approaching meetings and practices the right way, with a similar sense of urgency.
But the Giants also know they need to get it right on the field when it matters, and they can talk about that plenty.
“Just show up on Sunday. That's the biggest message,” Lawrence said. “Build your confidence throughout the week to show up on Sunday.”
