Tank Lawrence’s plan for Saints: ‘Hit ‘em in the mouth, then choke their [expletive] out’

The tension building for the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the New Orleans Saints Thursday night is starting to boil over.

Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, for one, is ready to go.

When asked if the Saints’ improved offensive line will be the toughest the Cowboys have face, Lawrence let loose.

“We’ve been talked up as being the difference [too]. They’re gonna have to match our intensity for 60 minutes straight,” Lawrence said. “You hit a [expletive] in the mouth and they’re not doing what they’re regularly doing, putting up 50 points, they start to get a little distressed. Now, you got them where you want them at and then you choke their ass out. We got to do what we’ve got to do. This is life or death right here. Especially for me, because it means too much.”

Lawrence said the game, which pits the Cowboys and their three-game winning streak against the Saints and their 10-game win streak and prolific offense.

He’s not ready to call the Saints offensive line the best he’s seen this year.

“I don’t know. I’ve got to see first,” Lawrence said. “They haven’t faced us so we don’t know yet. We can talk about it afterward.”

Lawrence praised the Saints offense, which has scored a league-high 409 points. Their tempo, he said, is what makes them so tough, along quarterback Drew Brees, who release the ball various ways, including sidearm. But in the same breath, he downplayed their uniqueness.

“They’re on you fast. They make a big play and now they’re back on the ball,” he said. “They hurry up and capitalize in that moment. Ain’t nothing special. It’s kind of sneaky the way he throws. He’ll throw it sidearm but it goes up. It works for him. We just have to make sure it doesn’t work this week.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 1:40 PM.