Seahawks’ DeMarcus Lawrence shares why he’s back after being ‘very close’ to retiring

DeMarcus Lawrence waltzed in smiling and shaking hands before sitting down for an interview at Seattle Seahawks training camp Monday. At 6 foot 3, he’s the tallest person in the room. But considering his nickname – Tank – and the merciless havoc he wreaks on the field, whether that’s against opposing quarterbacks in the fall or during a pass rush drill on a hot July afternoon, it’s almost shocking he’s not taller.

Even after title, Seahawks may still be an ‘ascending’ team

Honestly, it’s shocking he’s even here, too. Because, while in person he looks younger than 34 years old, 12 seasons in the NFL is a lifetime-and-a-half, and a Super Bowl title last year was a very real chance to walk away on top. He almost did. Those retirement rumors months ago? They were very real.

So, why is he sitting here getting ready to do it all again?

“I was very close,” Lawrence said during his interview with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “Went through a long offseason of going back and forth – am I going to retire, am I not?

“I think the one thing that held me steady is… it’s easy to take over a kingdom. But the hard part is when you’ve got the kingdom and now it’s time to defend it. Are you going to sit back and eat the fruits of your labor? Or are you gonna start building up your walls and making sure everything is structurally prepared to defend it? I didn’t want to go out on an easy way. I wanted to make sure I go out on top with a bang to let the whole world know this wasn’t some facade – this was something real.”

Host Michael Bumpus joked with Lawrence that the analogy of war and fighting off challengers was fitting, considering all the talk around Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster The Odyssey. But there’s a modern reality to Lawrence’s point, too. Repeating as champions in the NFL feels nearly as improbable and challenging a task as getting there in the first place. Lawrence had a chance to retire as a member of one of the 20 franchises to win a Super Bowl. By staying, he has a chance to be on the 10th team – ever – to repeat as champions, and a member of just the third team to do it this century.

Getting back will mean continuing a run of defensive dominance without a few familiar names after Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant and Boye Mafe departed in free agency. It’ll also mean fighting past a number of improved teams, none more daunting than their NFC West foe Los Angeles Rams (chock-full of All-Pro and Pro Bowl talent, and already the popular favorite to win the NFC West and the Super Bowl).

The Seahawks have Pro Bowlers of their own (Lawrence is a five-time selection), but they didn’t need a Defensive Player of the Year to put together the best defense last season. In fact, in one of the most quietly impressive stats, the Seahawks were ninth in total sacks (47) and third in pressures (180) without having a single player register more than seven sacks. That wasn’t a mark of luck or bad opponents, but rather of total team dominance and a brilliant scheme that felt suffocating for opposing passers.

“One thing we say to each other is ‘you feed my family and I’ll feed your family,'” Lawrence said. “And that just goes to us being a complete D-line – four equals one, rather than just winning one-on-ones. The game has advanced more with different schemes and intellectual coaches, like the one I have in Mike Macdonald, but it just really comes down to the players honing in on the details of their position, but also learning how to play with the guy next to him.”

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Seahawks waive running back Kenny McIntosh
• Grey Zabel: Seahawks’ new OC sees game ‘differently’
• Mike Salk’s 3 big Seattle Seahawks training camp takeaways

Related

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan takes blame for crash that resulted in concussionSeahawks announce games for throwback and ‘Rivalries’ uniformsSeahawks star JSN joins Madden’s exclusive ’99 Club’Ex-Seahawks safety Jamal Adams to join VikingsEven after title, Seahawks may still be an ‘ascending’ teamSeahawks waive running back Kenny McIntosh