Eagles' Laws may not like running, but he's putting in the work

Trevor Laws takes off after his first career interception, off the Texans' Matt Schaub, in a home game last December. (STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer)

By Jonathan Tamari, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: June 18, 2011

Trevor Laws pulled off his black hoodie to reveal a bright red - bordering on pink - T-shirt with two words on the front: "Running Sucks."

It was an unusual fashion statement for the Eagles' dreadlocked defensive tackle, especially considering he was about to push through a workout involving repeatedly tossing a medicine ball and running after it, followed later by sprint intervals.

Running, Laws would say after the training session with a few teammates, does indeed suck, but it pays the bills. And the bills are still coming during the NFL lockout.

Better conditioning and increased strength helped the tackle to his most productive season in 2010. He's aiming for even better things in 2011 - after the lockout ends and another offseason of running, lifting, and conditioning at Power Train in Cherry Hill is under his belt.

"That's one thing I did last year that I think really contributed to my success, just because my strength was just off the charts for myself," Laws said after the recent workout in Marlton. "Right now I'm really the strongest I've ever been, so hopefully, I can have a repeat of a strong beginning of the year" and carry it into the season.

Laws was a different player in training camp last year than in his first two seasons. The second-round pick, taken 47th overall in 2008, battled injuries each of his first two camps. Last year, he felt strong at Lehigh, made an impression early, and notched the first four sacks of his career during the season, along with an interception.

The numbers were not outstanding for a second-round pick but represented progress for the tackle used primarily in pass-rush situations. Laws pointed to the work with Power Train as a big difference.

"They make real easy lifts really, really hard," Laws said. "It really just clicks for my body."

With his first sacks to his name, Laws is hoping for more in 2011.

After going from zero to four last year, he said: "I guess eight sacks would be pretty good."

Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 215-854-5214, jtamari@phillynews.com, or @JonathanTamari on Twitter.