The big men, still bare-chested and dripping after turns in the cold tub, were going at each other.
Dalvin Tomlinson repeating “Roll Tide’’ over and over, expressing his supreme confidence Alabama will beat LSU this weekend, interrupting his alma-mater chest-beating to exclaim, “ACC is trash!’’ loud enough for Dexter Lawrence (Clemson) and B.J. Hill (North Carolina State) to hear.
“You crazy,’’ Hill shot back, and the whole ruckus started up again.
These young defensive linemen know, mostly, only losing with the Giants. Ragging on one another and revisiting college rivalries is a time-tested stress reliever. It is the way the locker room works, unless you are the anointed rookie franchise quarterback and the weight of a five-game losing streak weighs more heavily on you than anyone else in uniform.