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| “Aaron Donald’s a great football player, but I wouldn’t put anybody ahead of Lawrence Taylor,” Belichick said. “Lawrence did it all for 13 years. He dominated. . . .Taylor’s the best player I’ve ever seen, certainly the best one I’ve ever coached.” |
One of the most predominant is the rules in place today. A lot of hits were brutal. Completely clean at the time, but would likely draw flags today.
The other aspect is that there is more of an influence of mobile QB's.
A third is the overall evolution on the offensive side of the ball. Most systems today have built-in checks and balances to account for one player - even an excellent one. LT was amazing. He could play the role of a spy on a running QB - he could be a ferocious pass rusher. He could cover TE's. He could stop the run and chase down misdirection plays. That combination of size, speed and football IQ will be hard to find again - as well as being able to play within the rules of the game.
He changed the way offenses played to account for dominant forces on the edge, rushing the passer or defending the run. He created the whole Left Tackle mystique. He increased the use of the short drop and quick release. The only offense that had repeated success in the LT era was the West Coast Offense. He created many careers for Bill Walshes tree.
But more subtley and profoundly, the NFL compettion committee has gradually put in rule after rule after rule to protect and promote the passing game. All off these, intentionally or not, are designed to stop someone like LT from dominating a game. The only defensive player who came close was Ray Lewis.
It's now Brady's game
LT.
The best there is.
The best there was.
The best there ever will be.
Ha! You might be on to something here. And that’s why Hoodie is the greatest coach ever.
LT played for North Carolina and (I think) was never on televsion in the Northeast so almost no one saw him in college. There was a DE/LB sort of edge rusher coming out that year, Hugh Green from Pittsburgh who was a very good pass rusher at about 220 pounds. Alot of us were hoping he would be the pick because Pitt was on tv alot. But, when I read that Taylor was about 240 pounds and taller and faster and stronger than Green, it was like ok. The first time any Giants fan saw him play, it was the ultimate holy crap moment. You took one look at him on the field and knew he was special and that's when the team had Harry Carson and some other very good LBs. He changed the game in a way no one else had.
LT played for North Carolina and (I think) was never on televsion in the Northeast so almost no one saw him in college. There was a DE/LB sort of edge rusher coming out that year, Hugh Green from Pittsburgh who was a very good pass rusher at about 220 pounds. Alot of us were hoping he would be the pick because Pitt was on tv alot. But, when I read that Taylor was about 240 pounds and taller and faster and stronger than Green, it was like ok. The first time any Giants fan saw him play, it was the ultimate holy crap moment. You took one look at him on the field and knew he was special and that's when the team had Harry Carson and some other very good LBs. He changed the game in a way no one else had.
New Orleans had the first pick. And Rogers was a really great player. He just wasn't LT. Dumbest pick in NFL history.
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It actually made sense at the time because no one had ever seen a player like LT. I think it was the Redskins who had the first pick but not sure. The coach said that they would control the number of time a RB can get the ball so if they wanted to give Rogers the ball 40 times a game, they could do it. Conversely, if LT or any defensive player was playing on one side of the field, they could neutralize that player by going to the other side of the field or doubleteaming the player. Obviously, LT changed the dynamics of the game because he was fast to get to the other side of the field and strong enough to beat the doubleteam.
LT played for North Carolina and (I think) was never on televsion in the Northeast so almost no one saw him in college. There was a DE/LB sort of edge rusher coming out that year, Hugh Green from Pittsburgh who was a very good pass rusher at about 220 pounds. Alot of us were hoping he would be the pick because Pitt was on tv alot. But, when I read that Taylor was about 240 pounds and taller and faster and stronger than Green, it was like ok. The first time any Giants fan saw him play, it was the ultimate holy crap moment. You took one look at him on the field and knew he was special and that's when the team had Harry Carson and some other very good LBs. He changed the game in a way no one else had.
New Orleans had the first pick. And Rogers was a really great player. He just wasn't LT. Dumbest pick in NFL history.
And the moment he took the field for his first NFL practice, he immediately became the best player in the entire NFL and it wasn't close (sorry Joe).
thought why take another . Once the season started early
on plays where the runner is being forced out of bounds
right before he is stepping out of bounds this
blur comes across the screen and blasted the Redskin runner
out of the frame I knew then this guy was special ..
he was frightening ..
And you know who the Saints got in the 2nd round in 1981? Rickey Jackson. Jackson was no LT, but he turned in a 6 time Pro Bowler at LB and made the Hall of Fame.
And you know who the Saints got in the 2nd round in 1981? Rickey Jackson. Jackson was no LT, but he turned in a 6 time Pro Bowler at LB and made the Hall of Fame.
Jackson was a force. New Orleans had a really great LB group. That game when LT wore a shoulder harness was a battle of great linebackers.
LT was the best athlete I've ever seen... better than Ali, better than Jordan, better than Gretsky... better than Mantle... better than Montana or any other football player... I consider it one of the greatest things of my lifetime to have been graced to see every snap he played as a NY Giant
Weird seeing him back then as #98.
The Real LT - ( New Window )
LOL!! I think I had 73 sacks in one season with LT : )
I still have this game by the way! Kills my fingers to play.
The closest was probably Derrick Thomas from the Chiefs. But Thomas was a pure speed rusher (though he was great at it). But he wasn't the overall player LT was. In coverage he was maybe slightly above average. He was average at best against the run. LT was able to do it all at such a high level. And teams were left with the choice that they didn't want in order to run. They had to run right at him. That's because LT would just chase the play down the line and get the runner from behind. And Banks was the best strongside linebacker in the NFL and would stuff TEs.
Otherwise, I think only Andre Tippett belongs in shouting distance of LT. He was a monster in New England (and wore #56 to boot).
The closest was probably Derrick Thomas from the Chiefs. But Thomas was a pure speed rusher (though he was great at it). But he wasn't the overall player LT was. In coverage he was maybe slightly above average. He was average at best against the run. LT was able to do it all at such a high level. And teams were left with the choice that they didn't want in order to run. They had to run right at him. That's because LT would just chase the play down the line and get the runner from behind. And Banks was the best strongside linebacker in the NFL and would stuff TEs.
Otherwise, I think only Andre Tippett belongs in shouting distance of LT. He was a monster in New England (and wore #56 to boot).
For one of the few times, I strongly disagree with you. NO ONE was within shouting distance of LT, as terrific as they were
If the Giants knew that LT came with all his off the field baggage would they have passed on him?
If the Giants knew that LT came with all his off the field baggage would they have passed on him?
Is there evidence there was baggage prior to the draft that would warrant passing on him? I don't recall any.
One of my favorite LT stories and Parcells came in 1989 before the Rams playoff game. Parcells told LT to get some plane tickets and fly to New Orleans to trade jerseys with Swilling. LT had problems getting to Jim Everett and their left tackle Irv Pankey. Swilling had gotten 3 sacks in a game vs. the Rams earlier in the year. That pissed off LT enough that he got 2 sacks early in the "Flipper game", including one which forced a fumble inside the Giants 10 yard line that stopped a scoring drive when Reasons recovered it. That game still pisses me off, if Simms didn't throw that pick before the half we never even hear about Flipper.
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everyone was trying to find "the next LT". Keith McCants was drafted out of Alabama as #1 overall and he turned into a bust and put on weight to play DE.
The closest was probably Derrick Thomas from the Chiefs. But Thomas was a pure speed rusher (though he was great at it). But he wasn't the overall player LT was. In coverage he was maybe slightly above average. He was average at best against the run. LT was able to do it all at such a high level. And teams were left with the choice that they didn't want in order to run. They had to run right at him. That's because LT would just chase the play down the line and get the runner from behind. And Banks was the best strongside linebacker in the NFL and would stuff TEs.
Otherwise, I think only Andre Tippett belongs in shouting distance of LT. He was a monster in New England (and wore #56 to boot).
For one of the few times, I strongly disagree with you. NO ONE was within shouting distance of LT, as terrific as they were
It's a long shout ;)
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was a damn good edge rushing LB.
One of my favorite LT stories and Parcells came in 1989 before the Rams playoff game. Parcells told LT to get some plane tickets and fly to New Orleans to trade jerseys with Swilling. LT had problems getting to Jim Everett and their left tackle Irv Pankey. Swilling had gotten 3 sacks in a game vs. the Rams earlier in the year. That pissed off LT enough that he got 2 sacks early in the "Flipper game", including one which forced a fumble inside the Giants 10 yard line that stopped a scoring drive when Reasons recovered it. That game still pisses me off, if Simms didn't throw that pick before the half we never even hear about Flipper.
I am familiar with that.
That Flipper Game still stings to this day. Brutal loss. Not sure we could have beaten the 9ers that year, but that would have been a better match-up than how the Rams got crushed the following week...
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In comment 14281064 Matt in SGS said:
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everyone was trying to find "the next LT". Keith McCants was drafted out of Alabama as #1 overall and he turned into a bust and put on weight to play DE.
The closest was probably Derrick Thomas from the Chiefs. But Thomas was a pure speed rusher (though he was great at it). But he wasn't the overall player LT was. In coverage he was maybe slightly above average. He was average at best against the run. LT was able to do it all at such a high level. And teams were left with the choice that they didn't want in order to run. They had to run right at him. That's because LT would just chase the play down the line and get the runner from behind. And Banks was the best strongside linebacker in the NFL and would stuff TEs.
Otherwise, I think only Andre Tippett belongs in shouting distance of LT. He was a monster in New England (and wore #56 to boot).
For one of the few times, I strongly disagree with you. NO ONE was within shouting distance of LT, as terrific as they were
It's a long shout ;)
😂😂
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In comment 14281068 bw in dc said:
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was a damn good edge rushing LB.
One of my favorite LT stories and Parcells came in 1989 before the Rams playoff game. Parcells told LT to get some plane tickets and fly to New Orleans to trade jerseys with Swilling. LT had problems getting to Jim Everett and their left tackle Irv Pankey. Swilling had gotten 3 sacks in a game vs. the Rams earlier in the year. That pissed off LT enough that he got 2 sacks early in the "Flipper game", including one which forced a fumble inside the Giants 10 yard line that stopped a scoring drive when Reasons recovered it. That game still pisses me off, if Simms didn't throw that pick before the half we never even hear about Flipper.
I am familiar with that.
That Flipper Game still stings to this day. Brutal loss. Not sure we could have beaten the 9ers that year, but that would have been a better match-up than how the Rams got crushed the following week...
The Rams to us was akin to Norton vs Ali
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Would the Giants have drafted LT if there was social media in 1981?
If the Giants knew that LT came with all his off the field baggage would they have passed on him?
Is there evidence there was baggage prior to the draft that would warrant passing on him? I don't recall any.
Same here. I do not recall any baggage with LT coming out of UNC.
I've seen the Saints LB corps of that era, as a group, ranked above both the Giants' and Bears' LB corps, and all three were awesome, all time great LB corps.
Giants - LT, Carson, Banks and Reasons
Bears - Singletary, Marshall, Wilson
Saints - Jackson, Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Pat Swilling
Link to 10 greatest LB corps below includes Packers, Chiefs with Lanier, Bell Lynch, Steelers from 2 different eras (a stretch IMO), Broncos' Orange Crush... I think it's from 10th to 1st, so the Saints' group gets 1st place. Not sure about the ranking, if there even is one.
Best LB corps all time - ( New Window )
There's always one who thomrows Lewis in there. Great HOF level
Guy. Sure. But like Donald not close to the monster and influencer LT was
Montclair St. Not Rutgers
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In comment 14280984 Samiam said:
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It actually made sense at the time because no one had ever seen a player like LT. I think it was the Redskins who had the first pick but not sure. The coach said that they would control the number of time a RB can get the ball so if they wanted to give Rogers the ball 40 times a game, they could do it. Conversely, if LT or any defensive player was playing on one side of the field, they could neutralize that player by going to the other side of the field or doubleteaming the player. Obviously, LT changed the dynamics of the game because he was fast to get to the other side of the field and strong enough to beat the doubleteam.
LT played for North Carolina and (I think) was never on televsion in the Northeast so almost no one saw him in college. There was a DE/LB sort of edge rusher coming out that year, Hugh Green from Pittsburgh who was a very good pass rusher at about 220 pounds. Alot of us were hoping he would be the pick because Pitt was on tv alot. But, when I read that Taylor was about 240 pounds and taller and faster and stronger than Green, it was like ok. The first time any Giants fan saw him play, it was the ultimate holy crap moment. You took one look at him on the field and knew he was special and that's when the team had Harry Carson and some other very good LBs. He changed the game in a way no one else had.
New Orleans had the first pick. And Rogers was a really great player. He just wasn't LT. Dumbest pick in NFL history.
And the moment he took the field for his first NFL practice, he immediately became the best player in the entire NFL and it wasn't close (sorry Joe).
The reason Bum Phillips made Rogers the 1st pick was he was fixated with finding another Earl Campbell
It's hard to grasp what LT was if you weren't around then. You can put together a great highlight reel and make a guy look like LT, but as others noted, he changed the way the game is played, permanently. You didn't just have to scheme for him, you had to invent new concepts for him.
If Aaron Donald forced teams to invent new formations, like passing out of something like punt formation (QB in shotgun, extra lineman playing "fullback," closer to the line than the QB, just to stop Donald from penetrating up the middle), and if those formations became a standard part of the league's offensive repertoire, then you could start to talk about Aaron Donald in the same breath as LT.
It's hard to grasp what LT was if you weren't around then. You can put together a great highlight reel and make a guy look like LT, but as others noted, he changed the way the game is played, permanently. You didn't just have to scheme for him, you had to invent new concepts for him.
If Aaron Donald forced teams to invent new formations, like passing out of something like punt formation (QB in shotgun, extra lineman playing "fullback," closer to the line than the QB, just to stop Donald from penetrating up the middle), and if those formations became a standard part of the league's offensive repertoire, then you could start to talk about Aaron Donald in the same breath as LT.
And teams literally changed the body type of the OL they drafted all in an effort to try to block LT
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that he referred to the Jets as “another organization”.... when asked about his relationship with Parcells he said they worked together with the Giants, Patriots & another organization.
That's like in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "The Two Bills" when they ask at the end if they want to go to the Jet's locker room. Both laughed out loud and said something like, "Why would we ever want to do that?"
Turns out the Jets had security guys at the ready if they ever tried it.
The Jets aren't a smart organization. But letting Bill Belichick into your locker room is akin to letting your sister date Ted Bundy.
LT was completely dominate for certain. Others have greatly contributed to changes in sport though such as Steelers Blount and the bump and run, and Bob Gibson and lowering the mound. To name a few...
One of the most predominant is the rules in place today. A lot of hits were brutal. Completely clean at the time, but would likely draw flags today.
The other aspect is that there is more of an influence of mobile QB's.
A third is the overall evolution on the offensive side of the ball. Most systems today have built-in checks and balances to account for one player - even an excellent one. LT was amazing. He could play the role of a spy on a running QB - he could be a ferocious pass rusher. He could cover TE's. He could stop the run and chase down misdirection plays. That combination of size, speed and football IQ will be hard to find again - as well as being able to play within the rules of the game.
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difficult for there to be another LT for a variety of reasons.
One of the most predominant is the rules in place today. A lot of hits were brutal. Completely clean at the time, but would likely draw flags today.
The other aspect is that there is more of an influence of mobile QB's.
A third is the overall evolution on the offensive side of the ball. Most systems today have built-in checks and balances to account for one player - even an excellent one. LT was amazing. He could play the role of a spy on a running QB - he could be a ferocious pass rusher. He could cover TE's. He could stop the run and chase down misdirection plays. That combination of size, speed and football IQ will be hard to find again - as well as being able to play within the rules of the game.
You know, I watched some highlights recently and focused a lot on the hits. I think most were technically clean even by today's standards, but the nastiness of them would probably still draw flags. But, he was not a guy who played dirty. There really weren't hits to the head, late hits, etc. The one thing that would get flagged are some of the plays where he flung the QB to the ground.
As for the speed and IQ, he could cover WRs, not just TEs and RBs. But, the instincts were amazing. He was not known for his desire to practice or studying of the playbook. But, he supposedly was able to diagnose plays on demand in the film room, recall whatever was asked, and on the field always seem to make the right play.