Getting back to the Pro Bowl a second straight year was, in some ways, more challenging for Dexter Lawrence than the first.
That’s because he’s become more of a focal point for opposing offensive lines.
“Now that I get all this attention there’s different things to learn to play through and different schemes you’ve got to learn how to play through,’’ Lawrence said after practice Thursday. “Teams are scheming [against me]. There are different types and ways that they block me.”
He knows that will continue, as he was able to remain dominant, even with the added challenges.
“I embrace it,’’ Lawrence said. “I don’t get frustrated. I know it’s a sign of respect, in a sense.”
So was the four-year, $90 million extension the Giants gave him prior to the season, an investment that’s quickly paid dividends.
Asked if he felt he had to overcome added pressure because of the new deal, Lawrence said, “Before [training] camp, you get to thinking, ‘OK, I’ve got to outperform my [contract], but honestly, I’ve just got to continue to be myself. Whatever happens is the end result and I’m happy with that. I know how hard I work. I know who I am as a player.”
He continues to impress his coaching staff.
“Dex has stayed Dex since I’ve been here,’’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “He was a really good player before I got here, he had a great year last year and he hasn’t changed his work ethic.”
The 26-year-old said his best days remain ahead of him.
“I got better in some areas, but I’ve still got room to improve,” Lawrence said. “I’ll continue to learn the position and crafting it up.”
The Giants began the season with two rookies at starting cornerback, and they’ve had different seasons.
Deonte Banks started all 15 games until missing last week’s game against the Rams with a shoulder injury, while Tre Hawkins started just three games and has seen his playing time plummet the last five weeks.
Martindale said Thursday he’s liked what he’s seen from Banks, the team’s first-round pick last season, and acknowledged Hawkins, selected in the sixth round, has struggled.
Of Banks, Martindale said the rookie “did a lot of good things. There’s still stuff to fight through … just the new things he sees that’s different compared to college. He’s been growing through those.”
Martindale added there’s plenty to be encouraged about.
“The biggest jump [forward] is always from the first year to the second year,” Martindale said of Banks, who was limited in practice Thursday due to the shoulder issue.
Hawkins, Martindale said, has been “working hard every day, [it’s] just guys in front of him are playing better. I think this season has worn on him, like a lot of rookies. But we’re expecting big things from him.”
S Jason Pinnock did not practice Thursday with a toe injury and fellow safety Dane Belton missed practice for personal reasons.
Center John Michael Schmitz (shin) returned to practice on a limited basis.
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