Shaq Lawson – March 26, 2020
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Thursday, March 26, 2020
DE Shaq Lawson
(You’ve been in this division for a while. Obviously QB Tom Brady is gone. There’s been some movement. How do you view the Miami Dolphins’ chances of winning the division and/or getting a playoff berth this season?) – “We’re just going to take it a day at a time. The coaches brought the right guys in there. We’re going to try to build something special over there, but our main goal is just to come down there, just take it one day at a time and build a team and see where that starts first.”
(I talked to a couple guys down in Buffalo about you and they said two things. They said you were loud and highly competitive. How quickly are guys in Miami going to see that side of you?) – “They’re going to see that fast – Day 1 when I come in the building. I’ve always been a loud guy. I’ve always got at myself. I’m very competitive. I always want to win. It could be even an argument or just a little chat in the locker room, but I’m just very competitive. I’m a guy that’s going to bring energy and the spirit in the locker room every day. I’m just going to have – I never feel like I ever have a bad day in the locker room.”
(I had a chance to see you and DT Christian Wilkins catch up on the field in Buffalo before the game last year and obviously you guys must be friends. I have a very important question. Who is the better college player? You vs. Christian Wilkins.) – “He basically did it all as a college player. I didn’t play on the offensive side of the ball, so he’s got an advantage on that side of the ball, but we both had excellent careers at Clemson. We both were All-Americans at Clemson. We both were up for the same awards. We both did great things so you couldn’t say which one is better; but I know he’s – the only difference from me, he played on the offensive side of the ball and scored touchdowns and I haven’t scored yet, so that’s the only difference between us.”
(I think you’re the eighth player we’ve talked to today. You’re the first one that’s outside. Is this a case of cabin fever? Tell us where you are and what your surroundings are.) – “I’m outside in front of my yard, enjoying the sun. We haven’t been getting (any) sun out here lately and just been locked down in the house, trying to stay safe and things like that. I’m just outside enjoying the sun.”
(You played a lot of 4-3 end down in Buffalo. Is that were you feel most comfortable and where you can contribute the best?) – “I can play anywhere on the field. I’ll play in any scheme. I played in a 3-4 coming out in the league, so I’ve seen it all. Wherever a coach needs me to play at, (I am) willing to play. I’ll be in any position to help this team.”
(You know who you guys have gotten as far as pass rushers. Do you have any idea how this pass rush is going to look when it takes the field?) – “No, not yet. We’ve got guys. They came from programs that had successful numbers last year. Kyle (Van Noy) had a great year. (Emmanuel) Ogbah – I don’t know how to pronounce his name, but I know that’s my teammate – had a great year. So putting us all three on the field, we can be something special; but that’ll take time. We’ve all got to be on the same page because we’ve got to think about it. We’ve never rushed with each other and things like that, so it’s going to take time; but we’ve got three great guys to go rush the passer. It could be special.”
(How would you describe where you feel like you are in your career?) – “I’m at a point of my career where I’m just only getting better – making strides each year. Each year I’ve gotten better, improved. (I am) getting more comfortable in the game. I feel like these next coming years, I’ve got a lot of juice. I’ve got a lot to bring to the table, and I showed glimpses of it last year with only just playing on the amount of snaps I was playing. I’m just ready to go get it and just (try) to be a double-digit sack guy.”
(How did you end up in Miami? What was the process like? What other teams were in on you and why were the Dolphins your final choice?) – “The process – I didn’t know how the free agency thing worked because this is my first rodeo, but I found out Miami had interest in me from the time everything opened up. I just had a great relationship with (Defensive Line Coach) Marion Hobby down there. He coached me for three years of college football and he developed me into the football player I am, so that made my decision easy to go down there because I know I have guys I’m familiar with. I’ve got Christian Wilkins down there. I’ve got Cordrea Tankersley. Tankersley was my roommate at Hargrave (Military Academy). We went to military school together, so I’ve just kind of got a relationship thing down there.”
(I wanted to know what your perception was of the 2019 Dolphins and how did that change as the year went on?) – “Oh, man. Those guys – the two times we played those guys – those guys played us hard. We got everything they’ve got. That was a young team, bringing in new guys. Down the last final stretch of the season, those guys were playing great ball and it was exciting to watch. (It was) a very young team, but (they were) going down there and doing a lot of special things.”
(How are you going to help contribute towards the Dolphins’ success?) – “I’m going to bring and edge and a fire to the defense. (I’m a) guy that’s going to bring the juice, a guy that’s going to set the edge (and a) guy’s that just going to be a hard-worker every day and hopefully bring something special to this team and to the city of Miami, and just be ready to play for you guys and for my teammates and all of the fans down there.”
(You mentioned, “set the edge.” For a few years down here in Miami, we’ve been repeating that question over and over again like why isn’t the edge being set? How can it be set better? Who can set it better? Can you kind of take me inside the game a little bit and help me understand what the key is to successfully do your job of setting the edge?) – “I just take pride in that. You always don’t want to get out of your gap and ever since I’ve been in the league, I’ve just taken pride in not letting nobody outrun (or) get past me in my gap, set the edge, creating a new line of scrimmage. If you create a new line of scrimmage and you get everybody going forward, TFLs (tackles for loss) and things like that happen. I feel like that was a part of my success last year, just setting the edge and setting a new line of scrimmage and big plays just coming to me on the back side of help from my teammates, getting those guys in plays, too. It’s a big part. You’ve got to think about it – it starts with the running game. In the NFL, if you get your run game going – if your run game is going in the NFL, it might be a long day of stopping the offense.”
