By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com
If special teams standout and backup linebacker Lorenzo Alexander looks faster, well, that’s because he is.
Alexander, who is transitioning from outside linebacker to the inside, said he shed 20-25 pounds in the offseason so he can keep up better in coverage.
“I did it because I [wanted] to be able to run with guys like [tight ends] Fred [Davis] and Niles [Paul] and receivers, I had to be lighter,” said Alexander, who is listed at 244 pounds. “You lose 25 pounds, probably 40-50 over the last two years, and I’m still as strong, so I’m keeping that explosion [while] moving less weight. So of course I’m going to be faster.”
In addition to seeing an increase in his foot speed, Alexander said his body is taking less of a beating from carrying around the excess weight.
At the same time, he added, his new weight hasn’t hampered him on special teams, where he lines up on each unit with the exception of the field block team. He joked that he “dieted” his way off that unit.
“It’s not like back in the say when we played Dallas or the Giant and you [faced] big 330 pound guys trying to hit the wedge,” Alexander said, referring to kickoffs. “I’m just as strong, so I don’t think it will be an issue at all.”
Alexander lost the weight with the help of a dietician – and will power.
“Being disciplined, that was 90 percent of it,” he continued. “I’ve always trained hard but I wasn’t really disciplined as far as pushing back from the potatoes and the fried foods. I cut all that stuff out.”
He does, however, allow himself a “cheat” meal from time to time.
“I’m an IHOP guy,” Alexander said. “I love pancakes. I can just go crazy, so I normally have a stack of pancakes, and I’m in there just going to work on them.”
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