When he was at Boise State, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence’s name was spelled without a capital ‘M’ in materials created by the school.
Lawrence said that his mother named him with the capital ‘M’ and that he’ll be spelling his name that way as an NFL player. Returning to that spelling may be rooted in honoring his mother’s wishes, but it also underscores the fact that Lawrence is in Dallas to take over the spot vacated by DeMarcus Ware. The spelling of their first names may be the same, but Lawrence says he isn’t feeling pressure to replicate Ware’s production.
“I don’t feel like no pressure is on,” Lawrence said, via the Dallas Morning News. “They want me to come in and be the best player I can be and that’s just the pressure on me that I put on myself. I come in with high expectations and come to get the job done. DeMarcus Ware set the standards very high and it’s great, but I have a job to do now.”
It’s wise for a rookie to avoid trying to provide the same things that one of the league’s best pass rushers was able to achieve during his years with the Cowboys. Having said that, Dallas will need Lawrence’s best to look something like Ware’s work if their defense is going to make the improvements needed after things went so poorly last year.