Most of the highlights we see are his sacks. This video shows just how dominant he was in the run game. This is actually more impressive than his sack highlight videos.
For those of you who are too young to have watched him as an adult... enjoy.
LT Run Defense - (
New Window )
The only people who disagree are idiots. There are some guys close but he was the best. Not even Butkus or Reggie White bad teams putting 3 guys to just handle them.
If George young could’ve worked draft better with usfl guys, he could have been ours
Seriously how the heck could you control those two?
I wouldn’t know how to draw up plays vs them. May need half your offense to block them
Yet how many plays did you see Jim Burt, Leonard Marshall, George Martin and Carl Banks right there, too.
Agree Phil. This has been my contention since his career ended. I watched every one of these plays live on tv and so I am not surprised by his dominance but I'm always amazed to see his speed, violence, and ability to beat every block and not miss many tackles. I miss watching this player.
No gain of course (actually a yard because Taylor popped him up in the air and it took him awhile to come down).
It was the trend to not block the outside LB on the other side of the running play because they would never get in the play. In Taylors first practice, he immediately starting doing what you see there, running down the RB from behind. People were amazed. This caused a whole new blocking dynamic because you had to take of him, even if the play went the other way
Even when he's blocked, he's really not blocked..
That is the only way to describe it
I loved watching LT.
If George young could’ve worked draft better with usfl guys, he could have been ours
Seriously how the heck could you control those two?
I wouldn’t know how to draw up plays vs them. May need half your offense to block them
Probably would have won two more SBs. GY screwed up. Was that when he wanted to draft Zimmerman?
I take nothing away from LT, but I'd say that Deacon Jones is pretty close to him.
In his time, Jones was just as dominant a defender as LT was in his.
Opposing offenses regularly went backwards.
That's not biased.
And when you throw in that he changed the very definition of his position, well, that cements it.
G.O.A.T.
Quote:
But that is the greatest defensive player that has ever played. No one is even close to him.
I take nothing away from LT, but I'd say that Deacon Jones is pretty close to him.
In his time, Jones was just as dominant a defender as LT was in his.
Imagine LT if he was able to use the head slap.
Reggie White is close.
If you were foolish enough to not game plan for HIM, he would disrupt your entire offense almost single handed. An amazing, amazing player. I don't ever think we will see another like him in our generation. The game has changed too much, and quite frankly he probably would have gotten unnecessary roughness calls against him now which would mask the terror he brought to opposing QBs, Linemen, TEs, and RBs.
Too bad for the character flaws, imagine if he were as saintly as Jeter or Eli?
I was a little dissapointed because, the majority were just foolish teams trying to run away from LT. Everyone always thinks you could never run against Carl Banks. This tape reveals the real reason.
Thats why convention at the time was to run at LT, because anything else was completely futile. And in that regard some of the most fun tape to watch is LT and Leonard Marshall holding up the entire opposing OL on runs directed against them. Real football.
My sympathies to those who never had the pleasure
He’s already been acknowledged as the best ever by the NFL. He might even be the best player, period.
Marshall was an All-Pro, Burt and Martin very stout against the run, excellent at maintaining their gaps, allowing the All-World linebackers to make plays - Harry Carson was already an All-Pro by the time LT arrived, you cannot overstate that units greatness.
Opponents realized running up the gut was futile - a brick wall, running outside worse. Banks could stand up any Tackle or TE, would consistently blow up double teams. LT would consistently catch backs running away from him for losses and strip fumbles. Off-tackle plays, sweeps usually feature pulling linemen and do NOT block that backside LB - LT FEASTED.
Teams actually started running AT Taylor - felt the back had a better chance if he could see Taylor.
It didn't work.
Yeah he was fast, but he also played fast mentally. That was the thing I always remember most about him, he wasn't just fast, he was naturally very strong, his football instincts were ridiculous and he had no fear of contact or committing to a play. You can see how he just gives himself up physically to make the tackle. That defense was so much fun to watch.
Marshall was an All-Pro, Burt and Martin very stout against the run, excellent at maintaining their gaps, allowing the All-World linebackers to make plays - Harry Carson was already an All-Pro by the time LT arrived, you cannot overstate that units greatness.
Opponents realized running up the gut was futile - a brick wall, running outside worse. Banks could stand up any Tackle or TE, would consistently blow up double teams. LT would consistently catch backs running away from him for losses and strip fumbles. Off-tackle plays, sweeps usually feature pulling linemen and do NOT block that backside LB - LT FEASTED.
Teams actually started running AT Taylor - felt the back had a better chance if he could see Taylor.
It didn't work
And these guys were coached by the GOAT ... in retrospect, it doesn’t seem fair... but yet they only won 2 SBs
Quote:
But I've never seen a LB play anywhere close to his speed. He honestly looks like a madden cheat code out there.
Yeah he was fast, but he also played fast mentally. That was the thing I always remember most about him, he wasn't just fast, he was naturally very strong, his football instincts were ridiculous and he had no fear of contact or committing to a play. You can see how he just gives himself up physically to make the tackle. That defense was so much fun to watch.
He really wasn't that fast, nor did he have extraordinary strength, he just had the strongest will, was a competitive freak, and was the most instinctual player I've ever seen.
I was a little dissapointed because, the majority were just foolish teams trying to run away from LT. Everyone always thinks you could never run against Carl Banks. This tape reveals the real reason.
Thats why convention at the time was to run at LT, because anything else was completely futile. And in that regard some of the most fun tape to watch is LT and Leonard Marshall holding up the entire opposing OL on runs directed against them. Real football.
My sympathies to those who never had the pleasure
"You're never going to make a living running sweeps at Lawrence Taylor."
-- John Madden
I don't think I agree with that. His track time 40 may not have been exceptional (although it was still pretty fast for an LB of that era) but he played incredibly fast on the field.
And the way he routinely ragdolled OTs, I'm gonna say he was incredibly strong and powerful, particularly when you take into account that he never lifted weights.
Quote:
He really wasn't that fast, nor did he have extraordinary strength
I don't think I agree with that. His track time 40 may not have been exceptional (although it was still pretty fast for an LB of that era) but he played incredibly fast on the field.
And the way he routinely ragdolled OTs, I'm gonna say he was incredibly strong and powerful, particularly when you take into account that he never lifted weights.
Most sights say he ran a 4.53 which is plenty fast. In fact SI made a big thing when Clowney was coming out because he ran the same 40 time as LT.
So you have a guy who is an athletic freak, has 4.5 speed, and is 6'3" 245 give or take. Plus as we all know, combo measurements don't make a player
a good definition of greatness is to make those around you great.... Taylor did that
he wrecked teams, I mean wrecked them
the front 7 in 1986 Plus Mark Collns was HOF defense.
that defense HATED to give up 1 YARD, Hated it
rewatch the 1986 Playoff with SF, the Giants Defense destroyed them and because of all the attention Taylor got, other players would get free and make plays
I got to see it all and I'm still in awe
Banks was the only one who came close on the Giants
My Dad would put Taylor up with Jim Brown, as the 2 best he ever saw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQrQh-dueKM
His closing speed is unlike anything I've seen. The fact that he's the "deep safety" in a lot of the Goal-line highlights shows how much respect the coaching staff had for his sideline-to-sideline speed/tackling ability. Even if you transported Von Miller to Khalil Mack or the Bosas to the 1980s, I don't think they would have the sideline-to-sideline speed to play the deep safety position at the Goal-line like LT did.
He stands out so much from a strength/speed/hustle standpoint on these vids. All that crazy speed I mentioned above yet he is out there throwing Lomas Brown and Joe Jacoby around with realtive ease.
I think you could make an argument for Reggie White as the Defensive GOAT based on his longevity. Reggie Whit at age 35 was the defensive MVP of a Super Bowl team in '96, where he was absolutely dominant in the big game. Reggie White was league DPOY at the age of 37 in '98. Whereas LT was done being an impact player at the age of 31 and retired at the age of 34.
But in terms of defensive impact at their best, I don't think anyone is on LT's level. His versatility forced the game to evolve in order to limit his greatness from single-handedly wrecking games.
Agrred! He's the best football player of my lifetime and its not close.
You couldn't run at him. You couldn't run away from him. They created entire pass blocking schemes just to keep him from wrecking the game...and it slowed him down a bit some weeks. He could cover. He had good hands. He was the strongest. He was the fastest. He had elite instincts. He could sniff out a screen or other BS.
It wasn't fair.
You couldn't run at him. You couldn't run away from him. They created entire pass blocking schemes just to keep him from wrecking the game...and it slowed him down a bit some weeks. He could cover. He had good hands. He was the strongest. He was the fastest. He had elite instincts. He could sniff out a screen or other BS.
It wasn't fair.
Didn't help that he never trained at all.
Didn't help that he never trained at all.
Reggie White's longevity a good measuring stick for any player. And Reggie White, as great as he was - NEVER played at LT's level. Noone did.