NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Lawrence Taylor is considered by many to be the best defensive player to ever play in the NFL, including one of his former coaches at the New York Giants: Bill Belichick.
Belichick has always raved about “LT” and what a great player he was to coach. But during an appearance on “Hang Out With Sean Hannity,” Belichick revealed that the two-time Super Bowl champion and eight-time All-Pro linebacker’s instincts are what set him apart from the rest.
In fact, Taylor’s instincts were so great that he could tell who had him on any given play just by looking across the line of scrimmage.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor takes the field before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on September 8, 2024. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
“Taylor had instincts beyond instincts,” Belichick explained. “He was tremendously gifted, but he also knew the game extremely well instinctively. He could tell who was going to block him, Sean, how scared they were. If they weren’t nervous, they weren’t blocking him. If they were nervous, it was who was going to block him.
“If the quarterback was nervous, it was a pass. If the quarterback wasn’t nervous, he passed the ball. He could just tell.”
Taylor’s fear factor is well documented, but simply looking at a player’s expression across the line and knowing where the ball was going is something else.
GIANTS’ ABDUL CARTER DENIED NO. 56 OF HALL OF FAMER LAWRENCE TAYLOR: ‘GET ANOTHER NUMBER’
Belichick began to see this from Taylor when he was the second overall pick by the Giants in the 1981 NFL Draft. At the time, Belichick served as the team’s linebackers and special teams coach under head coach Bill Parcells.
Belichick would eventually be promoted to defensive coordinator in 1985, a position he held through the 1990 season before his first crack as head coach with the Cleveland Browns.
While he has coached great players — he said Tom Brady was his top player during his coaching career — Belichick simply couldn’t learn how Taylor would dissect an offense.
New York Giants players Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson celebrate with defensive backs coach Bill Belichick using a bucket of water during an NFC playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers in East Rutherford, NJ on January 4, 1987. (Jerry Wachter/Sports Illustrated)
“Over the course of two or three plays at the start of the game, he had a good sense of how they were trying to handle him and what their game plan was for him,” he told Hannity. “Sometimes it was what we had planned. Sometimes he’d come to the sideline and he’d say, ‘Coach, they’re not doing what you said they were going to do. Here’s what they did.” I trusted him because he could really see where they were looking, what their posture was and so forth. Then he never came off the field. When I was the special teams coach, I had him out there. He covered punts, he rushed punts, he was on kickoff returns, he was on kickoff coverage, he was on field goal protection and he blocked field goals. He didn’t come off the field, but he made plays.
“He wasn’t a play off guy. He picked his spots a little bit, but every time it was a big play, you got his best effort.”
Belichick even said he believed Taylor could have played multiple positions on the offensive side of the ball if he wanted to, showing the amount of respect in his talent during his days on the gridiron.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Taylor was a key piece in the Giants’ Super Bowl victories in 1986 and 1990, en route to being named the 1986 NFL MVP. He was also a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner.
In his 13-year career, all with the Giants, Taylor collected 142 sacks, including a league-high 20.5 in that MVP season, 41 forced fumbles and nine interceptions across 184 games.
