Just when you thought the Dexter Lawrence-Carl Banks saga might cool off, New York Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson stepped in to settle the score.
Related: Giants fans torch baffling Dexter Lawrence trade proposal from PFF
Patterson is a pretty good source for Lawrence info — after all, he only works with the guy every day at practice. The 65-year-old coach didn't exactly take a liking to franchise legend Carl Banks' comments about the three-time Pro Bowler, making it unmistakably clear where he stood when speaking with the media on Friday:
"He's [Banks] a great Giant player. But he is not coaching the D-Line, or a D-Line player in the National Football League. Players have all kinds of opinions, but that doesn't mean it's right."Andre Patterson
The pushback was prompted by some unsolicited feedback from Banks, who said on his podcast, "No one respects you anymore. Nobody."
Andre Patterson comes to the defense of Dexter Lawrence amid Carl Banks standoff
Patterson wasn't the only one who had a problem with Banks' criticism of the three-time Pro Bowler. No. 97 himself was thrown for a loop, saying he doesn't know what the former legend is watching and that he's going to continue doing whatever he can to help Big Blue get a win.
That was eyebrow‑raising enough, but his actual response was a bit more... not safe for work.
The whole thing essentially stems from how much attention opposing offensive lines are putting on the soon-to-be 28-year-old. Banks is seeing something different than just about everyone else. He believes there's been a decrease in the number of double teams opponents throw at Sexy Dexy. But the analytics tell a different story.
According to league data, the 6-foot-4, 340-pound behemoth is the most double-teamed player in the NFL — for the second year in a row. Look no further than him being doubled 29 times against the Philadelphia Eagles out of 40 snaps. That's a lot.
His stats are down, and naturally, that's going to raise some questions and invite some feedback. But the most frustrating part of all of this is that this wasn't handled internally. Banks is around the organization. If he wanted to talk with Dex about his thoughts, he could have easily done so not via his podcast.
Honestly, the whole thing is getting out of hand. However, if there's one way to shut this ridiculousness up once and for all, it's putting together a vintage Dexter Lawrence performance in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers. Take this fire and put it towards helping the G-Men get a win.