Seahawks’ ‘graybeards’ Williams, Lawrence have been going medieval on foes | Dave Boling
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Pure speculation here, but maybe the Seahawks defensive coaches have convinced Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence that the line of scrimmage is their property line, and everything on their side is their lawn.
They’ve been keeping offenses off it like a pair of geriatric gentlemen with intrusive neighbors.
Not to suggest the defensive line is some sort of Seahawks remake of “Grumpy Old Men.”
Well, they play grumpy, but surely not old.
As the Seahawks’ defense has meshed into one of the best units in the NFL, these two super-veterans (23 combined years NFL experience) are playing with the energy and tenacity of rookie free agents trying to earn a spot on the roster.
Anybody wondering about players losing motivation after they cash in, or get worried about load-maintenance regimens to pamper vets, should check out these two.
They’ve been creating havoc, plugging gaps, and harassing quarterbacks for Seattle’s Dark Side defense, the stingiest scoring defense in the NFL.
Leonard, 31, was second-team All-Pro this season with seven sacks. Lawrence, 33, made his fifth Pro Bowl with three forced and recovered fumbles, with two returned for touchdowns.
Neither has ever played in the Super Bowl.
Until now.
“Since I’ve been with the Seahawks, I talk about how fun it is, how it feels like college football again,” Williams said. “I think that youthfulness has come back to me a little bit.”
Williams gets counsel on keeping a youthful attitude from his father-in-law, Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott.
“(He) always tells me to treat every year as if you’re a rookie. How hungry are you? How starving are you for information? How hard are you hustling on the field? All those things like when you were a rookie,” Williams said.
Behind some slender shades with a “D-Law” dangling earring, Lawrence acknowledged his shared discovery of the fountain of youth with Williams on the banks of Lake Washington.
“I was telling them earlier this week, I woke up and I felt like it was the first day of seventh grade,” Lawrence said. “I was, oh, man, I finally arrived. It’s a special moment being in the locker room with those types of guys, veterans like Leo and (Jarran Reed) and (Julian Love), the way they interact with everybody, and also the way they carry themselves on the field.”
So, D-Law, feeling young again? “Oh, man, shoot, I was never old.”
Williams was picked up in the middle of last season from the New York Giants for a second- and fifth-round draft pick.
Lawrence came over as a free agent from the Cowboys last offseason.
“I think being in Seattle has renewed me a little bit,” Williams said. “There were times on some of my losing seasons (Jets and Giants), when I contemplated wanting to retire.”
Lawrence and Williams agree that the combination of their experience, and the young players’ energy and surprising savvy, has created a dangerous combination for opposing offenses.
“I’ve been saying all year that we have a great combination of young talent and older veterans,” Williams said. “I think for some of those young guys, when they see DeMarcus Lawrence running full speed, they have to think, if the older guys are able to do that, it gives young guys no excuse not to.”
Williams and Lawrence conceded that the young players give them occasional grief about their senior status.
“(Byron Murphy II) hits me all the time, like, ‘Man, D-Law, you have no idea, I was watching you when I was in middle school,’ ” Lawrence said. “But, hey, you know, it’s truly a blessing to be able to have as long a career as I’ve had, and, shoot, let’s keep going.”
Williams said they volley it right back.
“We call them stuff, too, like young, dumb punks,” Williams said. “That’s what I call Nick (rookie, Emmanwori). They call us OGs (original gangsters) and Uncs (Uncles), that type of stuff.”
Williams said that in the defensive-line meeting room, the young players have made a chart, signifying how old they think the various veterans are. “I fit in the ‘Unc’ classification, and D-Law is an OG,” Williams said. “Next year I’ll be an OG.”
Surely, the honor of reaching “OG” status will be reason enough for Williams not to retire.
More likely, this season’s success will be enough to keep them coming back. It’s also obvious that they have been enjoying the cross-generational camaraderie shared by this unit.
“Playing young?” Lawrence questioned when that was mentioned regarding he and Williams. “I think we’re playing like we want to win a Super Bowl.”
They certainly have.
Now get off their lawn.