Pro football's defensive singularity

"It's funny, everyone calls him the best in the game, but I don't think he ever got the credit he deserves."

-Joe Theismann

The Giants' GOAT

I recently came across this youtube user channel. If you are a fan of Lawrence Taylor, this channel is red meat. There are a couple of videos on political BS, but otherwise there's a good number of videos highlighting LT.

LT was just simply amazing from a non-traditional standpoint in pro football. Up until he came into the League, the great players were mostly running backs and a few quarterbacks. LT made his name making both look absolutely silly. And he did it with such fantastic style. He was a singularity on defense. Really nothing like him came before and nothing unlike him has been seen since in terms of pass rushing, defensive play making, and defensive strategy. Derrick Thomas, Kevin Greene, James Harrison, Demarcus Ware, Clay Matthews, Aldon Smith all come to mind. All are premium pass rushers at outside linebacker since Taylor's impact, which was immediate. Even defensive ends today look like LT in terms of their speed, size, leanness, and emphasis on ball stripping. I remember watching the GMen in earnest starting in 1988. I remember the last game of the 1989 season against the Raiders or the Monday nighter against the 49ers in 1990. Just like many have said, he was so easy to pick out compared to everyone else on the field for both teams. But he's just a linebacker. Huh? I think it's because he played the ball alone. Such a simple strategy. Rarely did he prance around in some zone scheme or worry about gap responsibilities. He had the instincts and the quickness to compensate for any mistakes other players would have been destroyed by.

The real testament to his ability and contributions is how his impact extrapolates across time scales. For a single play lasting seconds he could disrupt the passer leading to a bad throw and a 3rd down conversion failure or, worse, an interception.  For a single game lasting an hour he would more frequently than other defenders in the NFL cause the turnover that set up the game winning field goal. For a single season lasting 3-4 months his cumulative play making would put the Giants in position to make the playoffs and set up a run for the Super Bowl. This is what separates him from his clones mentioned above. He raised the level of the defenders around him and at times just looked unblockable. Half the plays in the videos in this youtube user channel are offensive holding penalties. As you may hear Frank Gifford say in one of the videos, "He is a defense all to himself."

Indeed.

Here's a taste in dramatic fashion.

Here's some comedy too (from a stand up routine by Artie lange).

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