Wednesday Reading

Giants

Lombardo NJ.com: Giants Roster Breakdown: Locks, long shots, players on the bubble after rookie minicamp
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2018/05/giants_roster_breakdown_locks_long_shots_players_o.html

Leonard NYDN: Leonard’s Giants Mailbag: Biggest rookie impact besides Saquon Barkley, the most likely third receiver, and more
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/giants-mailbag-biggest-rookie-impact-saquon-barkley-article-1.3990835

QB

Dunleavy NJ.com: Are Giants better off with Eli Manning or this NFL QB? Comparing Manning to other 31 starters, rookies
https://www.nj.com/expo/erry-2018/05/a6e98d72a04581/qbs_giants_probably_would_rath.html

RB

Giants.com: Cover 3: Running back importance trending up?
http://giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Cover-3-Running-back-importance-trending-up/571acfad-e043-4a3d-842f-0c18819748d8

DT

Feldman The Athletic: An oral history of the N.C. State defensive line that just went 4-for-4 in the NFL draft
https://theathletic.com/355463/2018/05/16/nc-state-defensive-line-nfl-draft-bradley-chubb-bj-hill-justin-jones-kentavius-street-ryan-nielsen/

OLB

Falato Inside The Pylon: Lorenzo Carter: The Perfect Chess Piece for James Bettcher’s Defense
http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/teams-nfl/nfc-east/new-york-giants/2018/05/15/lorenzo-carter-the-perfect-chess-piece-for-james-bettchers-defense/

NFL

King MMQB: The Big Gamble: NFL Needs To Be Careful of Betting’s ‘Unintended Consequences’
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/16/nfl-gambling-betting-mmqb-peter-king

Seifert ESPN: Why the NFL's helmet rule won't be game-altering as feared
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/275549/nfls-helmet-rule-wont-be-game-altering-as-feared

Stuart Football Perspective: Passing Declined More In 2017 Than Any Year Since 1977
http://www.footballperspective.com/passing-declined-more-in-2017-than-any-year-since-1977

ARIZONA
Weinfuss ESPN AZ: Josh Rosen's confidence is contagious, even when he's faking it
http://www.espn.com/blog/arizona-cardinals/post/_/id/30083/josh-rosens-confidence-is-contagious-even-when-hes-faking-it

ATLANTA
McClure ESPN Atlanta:
Falcons rookie Calvin Ridley on right route to NFL success
http://www.espn.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/32258/falcons-rookie-calvin-ridley-on-right-route-to-nfl-success

BALTIMORE
Shaffer Baltimore Sun: Ravens' Eric DeCosta on replacing Ozzie Newsome, drafting Dennis Pitta and emulating the Steelers
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bs-sp-ravens-decosta-newsome-steelers-20180515-story.html

Zrebiec Baltimore Sun: Ravens news, notes and opinions on right tackle competition, Crockett Gillmore, next week's OTAs
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bs-sp-ravens-news-notes-otas-20180515-story.html

Hensley ESPN Baltimore: How Alex Collins came up biggest winner in Ravens' draft
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/275551/how-alex-collins-came-up-surprise-winner-in-ravens-draft

Zrebiec Baltimore Sun: Ravens receiver Quincy Adeboyejo undergoing surgery on upper leg muscle
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bs-sp-ravens-adeboyejo-surgery-0515-story.html

BUFFALO
Buffalo News: Bills safety Micah Hyde: Buffalo welcomed me with open arms. 'I love this place
http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/15/bills-safety-micah-hyde-buffalo-welcomed-me-with-open-arms-i-love-this-place/

CAROLINA
Person Charlotte Observer: NFL investigation of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson 'can't go away' despite sale
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article211183039.html

Harrison Charlotte Observer: Charlotte has budgeted millions for second round of stadium renovations
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article211171644.html

Strickland Panthers.com: Kyle Allen "rolls the dice" on sticking in NFL
http://panthers.com/news/article-2/Kyle-Allen-rolls-the-dice-on-sticking-in-NFL/262728a1-3228-498a-ba3a-34eeba4cb38c

Person Charlotte Observer: Is Panthers rookie Rashaan Gaulden ready to roll? Not like he wants yet, he says
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article211087104.html

CHICAGO
Mayer Bears.com: Nichols eager to prove he belongs in NFL
http://chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Nichols-eager-to-prove-he-belongs-in-NFL/f25b9f43-2082-4631-93cf-9a374d1262e0

Finley Chicago Sun Times: Oswego HS alum Michael Joseph: Long-shot past to ‘help me mentally’ on Bears
https://www.google.com/amp/s/chicago.suntimes.com/sports/oswego-hs-michael-joseph-history-will-help-me-mentally-in-making-bears-as-cb/amp/

CINCINNATI
Minich Cincy Jungle: Film Room: Sam Hubbard is a versatile weapon for the Bengals’ defense
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cincyjungle.com/platform/amp/2018/5/15/17349406/film-room-sam-hubbard-versatile-weapon-bengals-defense-round-3-ohio-state

CLEVELAND
Stuart Football Perspective: Tyrod Taylor Is The Most Alex Smith Quarterback In the NFL
http://www.footballperspective.com/tyrod-taylor-is-the-most-alex-smith-quarterback-in-the-nfl/

Cabot Cleveland Plain Dealer: Browns claim OL Anthony Fabiano and Avery Gennesy via waivers
https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/05/browns_1.amp

Cabot Cleveland Plain Dealer: Will Denzel Ward start for the Browns in Week 1? Hey, Mary Kay!
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/05/will_denzel_ward_start_for_the.html

DALLAS
Davison Fort Worth Star Telegram: Dez Bryant to the ... Packers? Jason Witten thinks so
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article211153959.html

DENVER
Klis 9News Denver: HEUERMAN READY IN YEAR 4 TO BECOME BRONCOS' NO. 1 TIGHT END
http://www.9news.com/article/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/heuerman-ready-in-year-4-to-become-broncos-no-1-tight-end/73-552454296

DETROIT
Monarrez Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions new TE Luke Willson: 'I believe in Coach' Matt Patricia
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.freep.com/amp/611806002

Twentyman Lions.com: Kennard takes pride in his versatility
http://detroitlions.com/news/lions-insider/article-1/Kennard-takes-pride-in-his-versatility/76d32961-cd83-4a6d-9cf7-684eb81bb449

Monarrez Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Devon Kennard signed $17.25-million deal, still drives Kia
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.freep.com/amp/613157002

Rogers Detroit News: Lions linebacker Devon Kennard's taste in wheels ranges from austere to elite
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.detroitnews.com/amp/613333002

GREEN BAY
Demovsky ESPN GB: Packers believe they have first-round talent in DeShone Kizer
http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/44801/packers-believe-they-have-first-round-talent-in-deshone-kizer

Spofford Packers.com: Fast learner Oren Burks expects to pick up Packers' defense rapidly
https://packers.com/news/article/fast-learner-oren-burks-expects-to-pick-up-packers-defense-rapidly-32054638-9c20-473c-8abd-3fbdf500b025

HOUSTON
McClain Houston Chronicle: The potential of Texans' offense with a healthy Deshaun Watson
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texas-sports-nation/texans/article/The-potential-of-Texans-offense-with-a-healthy-12916159.php

Wilson Houston Chronicle: Texans add quarterback Stephen Morris
https://www.chron.com/sports/texans/article/Texans-add-quarterback-Stephen-Morris-12913661.php

INDIANAPOLIS
Holder Indianapolis Star: Insider: Rookie Colts coordinators expect divergent backgrounds to come together on field
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.indystar.com/amp/610728002

Crawford Indianapolis Star: Malik Hooker is back in cleats and running, seven months after his ACL tear
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.indystar.com/amp/612781002

JACKSONVILLE
Kaye WTLV Jacksonville: JAGUARS QB CODY KESSLER EXCITED ABOUT 'FRESH START' IN JACKSONVILLE
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/sports/nfl/jacksonville-jaguars/jaguars-qb-cody-kessler-excited-about-fresh-start-in-jacksonville/77-552279707

Reid Florida Times Union: Jaguars' Calais Campbell plans to make a bigger focus on helping others in Jacksonville
http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20180515/jaguars-calais-campbell-plans-to-make-bigger-focus-on-helping-others-in-jacksonville

KANSAS CITY
Teicher ESPN KC: Rookies will play more for Chiefs in 2018 than last season
http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/129919/rookies-will-play-more-for-chiefs-in-2018-than-last-season

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Williams ESPN LA: Forrest Lamp had second knee surgery last month, sources say
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23513628/los-angeles-chargers-offensive-lineman-forrest-lamp-had-second-knee-surgery

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Farmer LA Times: Former USC receiver Steven Mitchell is happy he was able to catch on with Rams
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-rams-rookies-20180515-story.html

Hammond OC Register: Rookie linebacker Obo Okoronkwo studied the Rams player he might replace this season
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/15/rookie-linebacker-obo-okoronkwo-studied-the-rams-player-he-might-replace-this-season/

MIAMI
Salguero Miami Herald: The reason the next week is a milestone for Ryan Tannehill
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article211166064.html

Kelly Sun Sentinel: Dolphins hope to feast on rookie tight-end production
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-tight-ends-20180515-story.html

Poupart Dolphins.com: Gesicki Ready To Showcase Athleticism At Tight End
http://miamidolphins.com/news/article-1/Gesicki-Ready-To-Showcase-Athleticism-At-Tight-End/dc12a9cb-ac96-4421-a668-777132500886

Palm Beach Post: Why the Dolphins drafted a kicker who missed 10 of 35 college kicks
https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/sports/football/why-the-dolphins-drafted-kicker-who-missed-college-kicks/DcWYVGS8l0zLsx5BtR9i4J/amp.html

NEW ENGLAND
Reiss ESPN Boston: What to make of Tom Brady missing voluntary workouts
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4813520/what-to-make-of-tom-brady-missing-voluntary-workouts

Daniels Providence Journal: Patriots O-line coach Scarnecchia has high hopes for Isaiah Wynn
http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20180514/patriots-o-line-coach-scarnecchia-has-high-hopes-for-isaiah-wynn

Hart Patriots.com: Draft Review: Patriots land LB 'thumper' in Bentley
http://www.patriots.com/news/2018/05/15/draft-review-patriots-land-lb-thumper-bentley

Daniels Providence Journal: Ja’Whaun Bentley and Christian Sam aim to be quick studies with Patriots
http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20180515/jawhaun-bentley-and-christian-sam-aim-to-be-quick-studies-with-patriots

Hewitt Boston Herald: Rookie cornerback Duke Dawson geared to earn his job with the Patriots
https://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/2018/05/rookie_cornerback_duke_dawson_geared_to_earn_his_job_with_the_patriots

NEW ORLEANS
Katzenstein Nola.com: Saints hoping 6-foot-10 Nate Wozniak can make smooth transition to offensive tackle
https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2018/05/nate_wozniak_saints.amp

Triplett ESPN NO: From lanky WR to prized pass-rusher: Meet Marcus Davenport
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-orleans-saints/post/_/id/30021/from-lanky-wr-to-prized-pass-rusher-meet-marcus-davenport

Holder Nola.com: Saints finally stable at linebacker, but who plays where?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2018/05/saints_finally_stable_at_lineb.amp

OAKLAND
Raiders.com: Assembling The Roster: How The 2018 Raiders Were Built
http://raiders.com/news/article-1/Assembling-The-Roster-How-The-2018-Raiders-Were-Built/aff0620e-1543-49f8-95bd-4c81ac3d86c0

PHILADELPHIA
Bowen Phil.com: The names ahead of Billy Brown on the Eagles' depth chart have changed, but is he better off?
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/billy-brown-eagles-tight-end-training-camp-20180515.html

Frank News Journal: With ex-Australian rugby player, Eagles showing size matters on O-line
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.delawareonline.com/amp/610230002

McManus ESPN Philadelphia: Sources: Brandon Graham has ankle surgery, could miss spring workouts
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23514568/brandon-graham-philadelphia-eagles-undergoes-ankle-surgery

Bowen Phil.com: Eagles sign linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, cut undrafted safety Dominick Sanders
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/eagles-roster-moves-laroy-reynolds-falcons-dominick-sanders-20180515.html

PITTSBURGH
Football Perspective (@fbgchase)
5/15/18, 10:03 AM
Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 1 in every 11 dropbacks over the first 6 seasons of his career, but that's dropped to 1 in every 29 dropbacks over his last 2 seasons.

Fowler ESPN Pittsburgh: As Le'Veon sits, Jaylen Samuels hopes to answer 'bell' for Steelers
http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/27910/as-leveon-sits-jaylen-samuels-hopes-to-answer-the-bell-for-steelers

SEATTLE
Condotta Seattle Times: Seahawks hope Tre Flowers will blossom in move from safety to cornerback
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-hoping-tre-flowers-can-blossom-in-move-from-safety-to-cornerback/

TAMPA BAY
Laine ESPN TB: Rookie CBs Carlton Davis, M.J. Stewart adapt to Bucs' coverage
http://www.espn.com/blog/tampa-bay-buccaneers/post/_/id/20641/rookie-cbs-carlton-davis-m-j-stewart-adapt-to-bucs-coverage

Smith Buccaneers.com: Igwebuike Sold on Opportunity in Tampa
http://buccaneers.com/news/article-smith/Igwebuike-Sold-on-Opportunity-in-Tampa/383502e6-7381-4265-9b0b-f54cd915f91a

TENNESSEE
Wyatt Titans.com: Luke Falk Aims to Prove Himself All Over Again with Titans
http://titansonline.com/news/article-4/Luke-Falk-Aims-to-Prove-Himself-All-Over-Again-with-Titans/6abf6285-921c-40c7-bde8-dfe9f4e51c4f

Wolf The Tennessean: Titans, Rashaan Evans agree to terms
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tennessean.com/amp/598983002

WASHINGTON
Keim ESPN Washington: Derrius Guice all smiles, a 'ball of energy' in rookie minicamp
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/275553/derrius-guice-all-smiles-a-ball-of-energy-in-rookie-minicamp

Copeland Washington Post: Redskins guard Arie Kouandjio to have surgery on quad as team holds out hope for shorter recovery
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/football-insider/wp/2018/05/15/redskins-guard-arie-kouandjio-to-have-surgery-on-quad-as-team-holds-out-hope-for-shorter-recovery/

Draft

Lindquist Rotoworld: ranks Clemson as the best school in College Football post-Spring 2018. Did your team make his list?
See the rest of the Top 25 rankings
http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/79829/325/post-spring-top-25


History

Leggett Texas HS Football.com: NFL Legend Jerry Rhome Talks “Ice Bowl”, Tom Landry, How He Got “Broadway” Joe Namath To The Jets and Racism in ’60’s Era NFL (Audio)
http://texashsfootball.com/nfl-legend-jerry-rhome-talks-ice-bowl-tom-landry-got-broadway-joe-namath-jets-racism-60s-era-nfl/

Training Camp Previews throughout the years - 1981

Giants first round draft pick Lawrence Taylor

Gil Brandt called it right...

No Giants first round pick had made a Pro Bowl with the Giants since Frank Gifford...

Fred Dryer made it with the Rams in 1975

One day Phil Simms and Mark Haynes would make it...LT changed the dynamic

Great article:

Dave May Asbury Park Press Sunday August 2, 1981

“Lawrence Taylor and how built his reputation on and off the football field. There were things he did that he couldn't believe or fully understand.

“After my junior season my goal was just to make All-ACC," Taylor said. "I saw Hugh Green and E.J. Junior and Ricky Jackson and said they'd be in front of me. I thought maybe I'd be an honorable mention All-America. But as I went along and had good games, I started thinking I might be ACC Player of the Year. That's when it hit me I could be All-America."

LAWRENCE IS A fine person off the field," says [North Carolina Head Coach Dick] Crum, "Considerate of other people." The senior class trip one year for Lafayette High School of Williamsburg, Va., was to King's Dominion, an amusement park. Taylor's arms were stuffed with stuffed animals that he'd won. It was too much even for his big arms. "There were a couple of old ladies sitting on a bench. Old enough to be our grandmothers," recalls Eric Pruden, a boyhood friend. "Lawrence walked up and gave those ladies the stuffed animals. He was lucky enough to win them and he didn't need them. So he gave them to the old ladies. He just wanted to do something nice."

In May, when he heard that his best friend, Steve Streater, had been seriously injured in a car accident, Taylor left the Giants' mini-camp. He had been anxious to look good. But Taylor rushed to the hospital to visit Streater, who is still partially paralyzed. "I'll try to dedicate this season to Steve," Taylor said. "When I think back to all the good times and all the good things I'd done at North Carolina, somewhere along the line Steve was with me. I told the Lord I'd do anything if he'd let Steve walk.”

Says Crum: "I think in a pro game they'll have to be patient with him. There's different blocking schemes and he'll be playing a different style than he's used to. "But he's not nearly where he'll be in four or five years. "He's got a lot of football ahead of him."

"YOU KNOW WHAT bothers me about Lawrence?" said Taylor's younger brother Kim. "He always treats me like I'm 10 or 12 years younger." Kim Taylor is 21 years old. He is one year and one day younger than Lawrence Julius Taylor. "Whenever we go out Lawrence says I can't do this or can't do that," Kim said. "He's always made me look like I'm a lot younger and he's the big brother. I guess he's always trying to look out for me." Said Lawrence: "I've got to worry about him. You never feel your younger brother can do anything right."

“WE ALWAYS HAD family discussions on Friday night," said Iris Taylor. "At that time I could sit down and talk to them and they'd talk to me." It was at one of these sittings that Lawrence plotted his life. "He said he was going to get a scholarship, was going to college and was going to be a millionaire by the time he was 18," said Mrs. Taylor. "He was about 12 at the time. "I wondered how he planned on being a millionaire at 18. I talked to him recently and said two out of three wasn't bad." Now, it's three for three.

TAYLOR GOT A three-year contract worth $750,000 from the Giants. His fourth year in pro ball will be his option year. By then, he will make about $1 million. Not a bad bit of change for somebody who never made more than $1,000 in one year. "And that was just for doing some construction work," Taylor says. One of the first things he did with the money was buy a new house for his parents. He is thinking of buying a house in Wyckoff, where Giants' quarterback Phil Simms lives. Where ever Taylor decides to live, he will be equipped with electronic space games. Those electronic games, along with manual games such as pool, chess and backgammon, are passions of his free time. "I'm trying to get an Atari setup in my house," he said. "I like Galactica and Space Invaders. I can pass hours playing these games. They help develop the mind. These games nowadays are not like tic-tac-toe or connect the dots. These games take hand-eye coordination. You have to be smart to figure them out." You didn't have to be smart to figure out Taylor would get megabucks from the Giants. There aren't many first round picks these days who are paupers. Getting the money from the Giants wasn't much of a problem. Getting some teammates to understand was. Van Pelt started growling when he heard Taylor was sprinting into an income tax bracket twice the size of his. Said Van Pelt prior to the draft: "To know that I played in eight years with five straight Pro Bowls and to have a player who hasn't played one down making so much more than me ... I'll deal with it when it happens." Even before the Giants drafted Taylor, there were rumblings that some veterans would walk out of training camp if he signed for the figures everybody guessed he'd get. That news bothered Taylor so much he sent a telegram to Perkins two days prior to the draft. It was a request that the Giants pass him up. He later apologized for sending it. He did it because he didn't want to cause any trouble. A few Giant veterans, including Carson, telephoned Taylor and told him: Don't worry kid. We want you. Van Pelt, who every season asks to be traded to the Lions so he could be closer to his family in Michigan, put in another request for a Detroit zip code. Denied. The only repercussion of Taylor's contract, if you can call it one, was that Van Pelt wanted a new contract too. He ageed to terms early last week.

WHAT DOES THE future hold for Lawrence Taylor? Does the name Gil Brandt jingle a bell? He's vice president of personnel development for the Dallas Cowboys, the man who scours the universities and the hick colleges to stock America's Team. "I'm a Lawrence Taylor fan," said Brandt. "He'd be a starting linebacker for us for the next 12 or 13 years. Lawrence Taylor is an excellent football player." Not since Frank Gifford, who was drafted in 1952, has one of the Giants first round picks been named to the ALL-Pro NFL team. Van Pelt, a Pro Bowler the last five years was the first player the Giants selected in 1973; But he came on the second round after they traded away their first round pick that year. Quarterback Phil Simms (1979) and cornerback Mark Haynes (1980) might become great players, but they were questionable first round selections. Taylor might be the closest thing to a sure thing since Gifford.

“LAWRENCE WAS ALWAYS toughest son," says Clarence Taylor. my 'We used to play basketball. Lawrence always liked playing defense against me," said Clarence. "He used to play me and the younger boy would play the older boy. iwience. was always the biggest of the crew. "No " matter that I was bigger and stronger than Lawrence, he'd try to get the rebound. "He doesn't like to lose. When he did lose, mostly he'd sit with his head down. I'd say, 'Son, you played a good game. You can't win all the time.' " "When I was young," said Lawrence Taylor, "I would try to shoot the ball and my father would knock it into the woods. Now I send his shots into the woods. It's fun when we play, but we're out there to win." Said Clarence: "We took away his television if he was bad. That didn't bother him. But if we wouldn't let him play Little League oi something like that, he'd get angry. It'd break his heart if he couldn't play a game. Do anything to him, but don't take away his athletics." "Back when I was 10 years old I got into some trouble and my Mom didn't spank me, but she did the worst thing," Lawrence said. "It was the first year I made the all-star game in baseball and she wouldn't let me play.- it hurts my heart to this day. "One time I tried to kick a field goal over the house. I kicked it too hard and it went right through the window. She got pretty mad. I guess I broke every window in the house at least once."

THERE WERE DAYS, when it became clear he would be a first round selection, Taylor would go to class at North Carolina and practice signing his autograph. "I tried a lot of different styles," he said. "It took me a page and a half to come up with this one." The autograph he settled on starts off with a lavish L and then a lot of bold scatching is done to the other letters in his name. The fans love it. Said one fan who had collected about 40 Giant autographs: "Taylor has the best." "When people say hello to me I don't want them to think I won't talk to them or that I'll knock their head off," Taylor said. "I'm a pretty nice guy. I like to say hello to people." A few moments after saying this, Taylor was walking toward the stables on the Pace University campus. A duck pond was to his right, a forest of oak trees was on his weakside. It was the perfect setting for nice guys.' A young boy was in a wheelchair up ahead, holding out a scrap of paper. He was looking for autographs from football players, anybody would do. Taylor sat down beside 'the boy. "Hi, how are you today?" Taylor said. He signed his name. The boy read the name as Taylor stood up. The boy smiled. Taylor smiled and patted the boy's head.

TAYLOR SAYS HE could hit the stitching off a baseball. Clarence Taylor thought some big league team would come knocking at his door some day asking for his son. Baseball was a religion until his junior year in high school. Then he converted to football' "When Lawrence first started he had a lot to learn and was bumped around," said Mike Bucci, the football coach at

Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Va. when Taylor played there. "Halfway through the season, he hadn't started. "Other kids that age might decide 'It isn't for me.' Lawrence kept coming back. "What impressed me was he'd be knocked down and he'd get back up again. "He learned. Pretty soon he learned it's easier to knock people down then to get knocked down." The year before he played football, Taylor was not yet awesome: 5-10, 160 pounds. The year he graduated he was 6-3, 215 pounds. "He jumped up all at once," said his. father. "Momma was fussing that he outgrew all his clothes. I used to cut his hair. Next thing I know I'm looking straight at him. Then I'm on my tippy toes. Then I had to get him to sit down

After paring his choices to the University of Richmond and North Carolina, Taylor decided to become a Tar Heel. He was a backup outside linebacker in the Tar Heels' 5-2 defense his freshman season. The team allowed the fewest points in the country. In Taylor's sophomore year Crum replaced Bill Dooley as head coach. Taylor was moved to inside linebacker. He strained his knee early that season and sat some games. Soon, Taylor was healthy. "We had some problems at middle guard so we moved Lawrence there," said Crum. "We told him we wouldn't leave him there but we wanted to get a guy of his caliber in. He was not a real good technician, but on sheer ability alone he played." Lawrence Taylor, as NFL personnel men know him today, was born late in the football season two years ago. . "Lawrence hit stride the last four games of his junior year," said Crum. "And every game his last season he became more confident and a dominant person." Taylor was a stand-up defensive end in the Tar Heels' 5-2 alignment. His size and the big number 98 on his back couldn't be missed. Pro scouts saw him as the quintessential outside linebacker. Scouts felt Taylor's only shortcoming might be on pass coverage, which he didn't do much of at North Carolina. "His exposure to pass defense hasn't been great," said Bill Parcells, the Giants' defensive coordinator. "But the capacity is there. He does things on instinct. He has great potential. He has the best acceleration of any linebacker I've seen."

“WHEN I WAS young," Taylor said, "I was short and fat and everybody teased me." Nobody teased him his freshman year in college. He was on the punt return team. His teammates called him Kamikaze. "I used to dive over people and fall on my neck and stuff," he said. "I can't believe I was a fool like that." All through his college career there

“I'd agree with that," Parcells said, “In pro ball, you're a hero to some and a villain to others," Taylor said. "I just like to give 100 percent. . "My high school coach always told me: 'Even if you're a junk man, be the best at it you can be.”

Giants Birthdays 5-16

LaSalle Harper LB W-CHI 1989 NYG 1989 5-16-1967

Derrick Martin DB FA-GB 2011 NYG 2011 5-16-1985

Nikita Whitlock FB/DT W-DAL NYG 2014-2015 5-16-1991