#3 ... But first, an early 80's classic from Al Jarreau ...
"... Not a chance my Golden friend ..."
Onward!
Elite Skill Set. So. Let's take:
The Football IQ of Willie Lanier.
The Tackling Ability of Bobby Bell.
The Physicality of Dave Wilcox.
The Speed Pass Rush of Robert Brazile.
The Coverage Ability of Dave Robinson.
Mix them together to form one Linebacker.
Who do we get :
Lawrence Taylor is, with no hesitation or question on my part, the greatest defensive player I have seen take the field in the NFL. I'm not alone in that assessment. I can go a step further and say LT is one of the two greatest NFL players I have seen play. It's either LT or Jerry Rice. In my opinion LT and Rice are the Top Two players All Time and I could fashion a formidable argument for either. But, not here.
As with most things football related from my youth, this story starts with a game I watched along with my Dad. The 1979 Gator Bowl. Michigan Wolverines vs. North Carolina Tar Heels. Not much of a college football fan at that time (c'mon, I was 9 😁). I had watched a couple of UNC games earlier. I've always liked the Linebacker position. Tar Heels had 2 great ones in 1979. Buddy Curry and Lawrence Taylor. The Heels defeated Michigan 17-15. A game that turned momentum wise in the first half following a LT sack of Michigan QB John Wangler. Wangler was done for the game. LT was only getting started.
The 1980 Tar Heels were very, very good. 11-1. Top 10. Bluebonnet Bowl win over Texas. The only blemish being a loss in early November at traditional power Oklahoma. LT had an All American season leading a stout UNC defense. 16 sacks and a terror all over the field in every game.
1981 NFL Draft. My Dad being a Redskins & Dolphins fan so naturally he tried to mold me into one 😂 and he hoped LT would end up in Washington or Miami. Visual evidence below of his efforts to make me a "Skins & Phins fan 😂
Nope, sure didn't. Giants grabbed LT. Who then proceeded to terrorize not just the 'Skins but every other team. The Giants, a woebegone relic of team that was once a powerhouse in the pre Super Bowl era, were transformed in 1981 into a Wild Card playoff team. That won a playoff game before going on the road and losing to the 49ers in the divisional round. LT was a major factor. No playoffs in the 1982 strike shortened 4-5 season for the Giants. Head Coach Ray Perkins departed. Headed back to Alabama following the retirement of the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant. Short term, Giants were 3-12-1 in 1983 under first year Head Coach Bill Parcells. A step back. Long term. Well ...
Intermezzo
"Guilty ..."
Following the mess of 1983 the Giants under Bill Parcells were contenders for the rest of the decade + another Super Bowl in 1990. With a blip in 1987, another labor issue season.
1984 9-7 Wild Card
1985 10-6 NFC East Champs
1986 14-2 Super Bowl Champs
1987 6-9
1988 10-6 No Playoffs
1989 12-4 NFC East Champs
1990 13-3 Super Bowl Champs
Two Super Bowl titles in 5 seasons. In what was a dog-eat-dog NFC at the time. The Giants, 49ers, Bears, Redskins were very strong teams. The Vikings, Eagles, Saints and Rams had their moments as well. Individually LT would grab the 1986 AP MVP & Defensive Player of the year (his 3rd). Certainly Coach Parcells and Assistant Coach Bill Belichick and their coaching methods deserve some of the credit. But by the late 80's it was very apparent that Lawrence Taylor with a combo of off the charts instincts and athleticism, was a generational player. The mold as they say, was broken.
Bill Parcells left the Giants following the 1990 season. His second Super Bowl winner. In my view, his best coaching job. Injuries and age were creeping in.
From 91-93 LT was still great at his best, very good at his worst. 1992 was injury plagued. 1993 under first year head coach Dan Reeves the Giants made the playoffs in what was LT's final season. The writing had been on the wall.
Lawrence Taylor at a glance courtesy of Pro Football Reference:
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999
There were other great Linebackers playing during LT's career. Andre Tippett, Rickey Jackson, Mike Singletary, Pat Swilling, Derrick Thomas, Harry Carson, Wilber Marshall, Carl Banks and more. Greats, but no LT's.
He's been a member of my collection from the get-go since I returned to the hobby.
A few more LT'S here:
We don't duck and dodge 'round here so I'll hit on two LT topics not mentioned above.
November 18, 1985 Monday Night Football. The Giants vs. the Redskins.
The Giants entered at 7-3, the Redskins were clinging to playoff hopes at 5-5.
Skins eeked out a win. But still missed the playoffs. One of the last MNF games my Dad and I watched together. The LT that people saw jumping around frantically waving for help after the unfortunate Joe Theismann injury? That's the real LT.
Off field issues for LT. No one will ever accuse LT of being a bad guy. Good men can make bad decisions. We're human. I never recall LT passing the buck and blaming anyone else for any transgressions. He has always manned up, never shied-away from taking blame. That matters. Good Lawrence Taylor dwarfs Bad Lawrence Taylor.
As for on the field, there will never be another Lawrence Taylor.
Later ...
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