It's not every day that you hear a coach like Bill Belichick giving another player high praise. But whenever he does, those words are usually reserved for top players like New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor was included in the NFL 100 All-Time Team due to his talent and sheer dominance as a linebacker. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Giants, some of which were spent with Belichick as the team's defensive coordinator.
He had nothing but the highest praise to thew linebacker due to his impact on and off the field.
This is what the New England Patriots head coach had to say about Lawrence, per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith:
“I had the honor of coaching the greatest defensive football player in the history of the game. He helped make me a great coach,” Belichick said.
Belichick recalled a 1981 playoff game when Taylor lined up as a punt gunner and forced a fumble, and Belichick says Taylor could have played anywhere on the field.
“This guy could do it all. Offense, defense, special teams. Wherever you wanted him to play, he could have been a great two-way player,” Belichick said.
Taylor was an incredible pass rusher, and his qualities are definitely the things Belichick looks for when he drafts or signs a pass rusher. He got an incredible tally of 132.5 tackles in his 13 years of professional play. Moreover, Giants loved him for his loyalty to the franchise: he was never tempted to change teams in order to chase Super Bowl rings.
There are still more noteworthy defenders that will be named to the NFL 100 All-Time team, but Belichick brands LT as the best defender the league ever saw. And that kind of rare praise is something Taylor should definitely be proud of.
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