Completely dominant. A step ahead and quicker than anybody else on the field. Love Madden's comment - "You're not going to make a living doing that....running a sweep at Lawrence Taylor"
Because he Is a freak athletically, he doesn't get the credit for his ability to diagnose the play quickly. Look at how quick he breaks these plays down. One of the best ever.
@@billdefrances4314 What a cheap shot! NFL player's have to report to their locker room's a full two hours prior to kick-off. Cocaine wear's off within thirty minutes or so. Are you going to tell me with a straight face that LT smoked crack or cocaine in his own locker room amongst his fellow teammates thirty minutes prior to kick-off...? You are a fool! What he did in his personal time is something he has always had to reckon with and is NO business of our's...And, he almost NEVER took a painkiller while playing. He played through pain just like the warrior he was!
LT...still the greatest defensive player in history...I mean, geez, I don't think anyone can even put up a serious argument for a player who played better than him.
riikerman Not true. As a strong safety Lott was able to sprint long distances before hitting players. Many of which didn’t even see him coming or not until it was too late. LT was much bigger AND even faster than Lott. He just didn’t play a position where he could stick people after sprinting at them for 15+ yards.
@@revo1974 , listen, Lawrence Taylor was born standing up. UNANIMOUS First Team All-Pro, as a rookie Defensive Player Of The Year, as a rookie Jim Brown: UNANIMOUS First Team All-Pro, as a rookie NFL MVP, as a rookie They were both Beasts.
They will never be another Lawrence Taylor I'm sorry there is people with great talent but this man was one of a kind you just got to watch highlights to understand what I mean this man could not be tamed he was different beast like seriously man and they're a lot of good players out there but nobody will match up to Lawrence Taylor nobody
This video shows me why LT is the greatest football ever. They ran away from and at him but he made all the plays. He was strong, fast, quick, explosive, great awareness, and most importantly unblockable. The Greatest.
I'm old enough to have watched Lawrence Taylor play, no doubt greatest defensive player I've ever seen. White, Haley, Thomas all came close but Taylor was unstoppable.
How can you dislike this? I mean, look at this sh*t! It's so different. You have never seen anything like him, not before or since. He was labeled a LB, but he was more like a force. Complete dominance. A phenomenon.
@@goodciro On his A Football Life documentary, he was shown that video of Theismann's injury yet again and refused to watch it. He still feels guilt and remorse for that. I'm pretty sure that Taylor has shed a lot of tears whenever he thinks about it.
Yes.. i watched the video.. thats why i said that he still haunted.. I'm brazilian but i do love the american leagues.. and fuck man he's my favorite player. Pure Dominance.
The thing I remember most about LT was that once he squared his body to the ball carrier, that man was down within a few feet. Nobody broke a tackle against LT
Folks.....please pay attention to @3:24 of this clip. That 'swing of the arm' that Lawrence Taylor did after the snap was the same thing he did in the 1990 NFC Championship Game vs the 49ers in Candlestick Park. The difference is LT did it TWICE on one play....as he had to beat the initial block by TE Brent Jones and the subsequent block attempt by FB Tom Rathman. Unless you focus on the right side of the Giants' defensive line you won't notice it but it was significant. This was important because after he got by these two 49ers Taylor ran the running play down from the backside to get to the area along the Line Of Scrimmage where RB Roger Craig had entered the hole in the line.......by the time he got to RB Roger Craig......NT Erik Howard had forced Craig to fumble by getting his helmet on the ball........had Taylor not gotten to that spot.........the Giants would not have recovered that fumble and won the NFC Championship Game and made it to the Super Bowl. God damn DETAILS.
Whenever LT's impact on the game is discussed, it seems like there's such a focus on his two biggest physical attributes: his combination of strength and speed that is so rare in a football player and set him apart from his peers. This collection of video clips illustrates two qualities he had that made him the best defensive player I ever had the privilege to watch. He was the most RELENTLESS player I've ever seen, and he had an incredible INSTINCT for how an offensive play would unfold. Watch almost any highlight play in these clips, and notice how perfectly he anticipates the play as it unfolds and does exactly what works best to break it up. In some cases it seems like he's playing the game at faster speed than anyone else on the field, and in others you can see a very brief -- but perfect -- hesitation on his part to let the play evolve in front of him so he is in a better position to shut it down. I watched this guy at Giants Stadium for years, and I never really appreciated the full extent of his greatness until I could sit here and watch the details of these plays over and over again.
Harold Morant You nailed it Harold. Bill Parcells once said, Taylor's greatest attribute wasn't his size, speed or strength. As great as theses were, it was complete and total relentlessness. The man didn't know what it was to give up on a play. AMAZING!!
Same sentiments here. His physical attributes are obvious but his intangibles, his football awareness/IQ and his drive to excel and cause something to happen on EVERY play is really what puts him at the top. I too watched him (on TV, good old Madden/Summerall days) when I was a kid and never appreciated just how great he was until watching the videos of him.
Not only that, look how many times in this compilation he goes unblocked despite the fact that offenses spent the entire week prepping for him specifically. He was a master at sniffing out plays.
Bill Belichick (who was his defensive coordinator) said that Taylor knew where every player on the field was, and what their assignment was. He'd come off a series and say, "coach, they're not blocking it the way you said. This guy was looking for me, that guy was helping, if I went inside the center was going for me, that guy was looking. . ." It was a kind of sixth sense about where everyone was, and it's extremely rare. I sometimes think, from the way he talks, that of all the great players Belichick has dealt with over the years, LT might be his favorite.
Great video. People just can't comprehend how good this guy really was. It wasn't just the amazing pass rush. His pursuit was incredible. he had a nose for the ball. I grew up watching him and I've gotten to see a lot of football and I have never seen anyone who disrupted opposing offenses like him. Every team gameplanned specifically around him and he still utterly dominated. He was just too damned good for words.
If his run stopping plays don’t convince you he’s the greatest ever, I’m done with this... He never missed tackles ( I mean RARELY) He ALWAYS hit you with full force, all he had ( you hear the collisions) He always came full speed at you.. He’s the most DOMINANT defensive player ever and believe me, we all know, there have been some GRREAT ones... But, he’s the best ever, hands down, no questions asked. It’s not even close.
John Smith u are one of the very best to ever do a highlight film. everyone nowadays love showing the extras close view but to all us real football fans show us the line of scrimmage and pre snap alignment. great job and yes, LT was the very best defensive player of all time! He was a beast against the run and pass. changed the size and skill set of offensive left tackles. Redefined the Outside Linebacker position. gave rise to the 3-4 defense.
They run away , chase down from the back side , they run at him , bull rush or tossed the blocker away , they reverse , he chased down or stays at home !! And don't forget his Pass cover skills !! Only one man kept offensive coaches up at night !! Lawrence Taylor
He takes the perfect angle...never runs straight at them in the backfield like most, he takes an angle and runs straight to where he knows they will be wow.
LT was the best football player period. As Detroit Lion fan, I get goose bumps watching this video. His combination of speed, power, football IQ and tenacity is unparallel
LT is the best to ever play defense. I’d rather watch LT highlights than the product on TV today. He’s like a cheetah chasing down a gazelle except he has the strength of a lion!
I was too young to appreciated how good LT was when he played. He reminds me of a high performance quarter horse that can explode from a standstill. Incredible! Thank you for compiling this video!
Watched this a bunch of times. Just b4 my time though I did see him play his last three years. I'm glad he turned his life around. THE ORIGINAL LT..........the best to ever play the game!
4:25 THAT IS RIDICULOUS!!! Watch it carefully, a full back and a pulling guard are coming straight at him, he goes through both of them and tackles the runner, I've never seen anything like it! Not human...
The play @ 4:25 that LT blows up is the famous 'counter trey' that the Skins ran with great success back in the 1980's under Joe Gibbs. It's a misdirection play where the far side guard and tackle pull to the playside while the rest of the line blocks down. The play worked well against every team but the Giants and that was entirely due to Taylor's athleticism. Gibbs realized this early on. He tried running the counter away from Taylor but by pulling guard and tackle it allowed LT a free release & with his speed he could catch the RB from behind. ...And as you can see from the vid, running the play at Taylor was not the answer either.
***** That seems to be one of his signature moves, running across the backfield and catching from behind. And never any hesitation in coming off the line is the weird bit. Not in any of these clips anyway! I'm in the UK by the way, it's the only team sport I watch on TV. LT was mostly before my time but I had heard of him, now thanks to the internet I can see what all the fuss was about. I find it a good game to analyse as well as watch.
LT was the best hands down. how many outside linebackers then and now was making over 100 tackles and double digit sacks ? i know he did it twice in his career . you dont have OLB'S doing that at all . it was an interview with the great derrick thomas and he said an OLB making that amount of tackles was just unreal . LT played great technique against the run the man couldnt be fooled . he was the greatest OLB/defensive player that ever played the game .
This is beautiful! I mean, I'm genuinely moved by this. And not because I'm a Giants fan, but because I love the game. I know Lawrence Taylor as a great pass rusher, and I've seen the highlights. So many highlights. They focus on the moment he hits the QB, but rarely focus on how he gets there. THAT'S where his greatness shines. These clips are excellent examples of what made LT one of the best to ever play. Thanks for sharing this vid!
LT is one of only a few players in history that had huge influence every time they set foot on a football field. Any player that consistently influences games season after season will eventually be classed of one of the best of all time. Lawrence Taylor just a fantastic player.
LT tackled like something out of a damned as an instructional video. He made tackling into a skill rather than just a function of raw aggression. Guys nowadays, to often, are trying "hit" the ball carrier so that he is laid out and they are still standing up. LT tackled the ball carrier. His head and eyes were up, he aimed for the lower-mid torso, wrapped his arms and then let his legs go slack so his body weight dragged the player to the ground. He always ended up on the ground alongside the guy he tackled. . 5:12, 6:30 and 7:07 are perfect examples. If players used the same techniques today, with the better helmets (and no more astroturf) we would have a lot less need for the worries about concussion safety.
When your highlight film is 13 min of continuous domination, 3-4 seconds per play... oh yeah thats just stopping the run! Lol. Then there is pass coverage and pass rush too! There is no debate who is the GOAT!
Incredible move by LT @ 2:24 to make the tackle against the Chicago Bears on a 4th and inches play. Amazing array of moves @ 3:31 to make a tackle against New England, avoids a low block then dives underneath the second blocker to get to the runner. @ 4:26 he goes low to evade/shed blocks by two Redskins Offensive Lineman running the counter tray to stop John Riggins cold. Damn.
You are looking at the greatest linebacker to ever play the game of football. This guy was big, strong and fast and had the football knowledge to go with it. He my friends is the definition of G.O.A.T.
I’m not a Giant’s fan but I think Taylor literally revolutionized the way defense was played. Too bad he took the wrong path after football. He was one of the greatest players ever
john smith you make my day. i can show my 15yr old son this stuff. after watching LT's great pass rushing video, this run defense video may be more impressive. i now believe that LT is no.1 all time over jim brown. same athlete but LT did it against bigger people. thank you again john smith.
Its obvious the physical game play today is not the same as before. With the new cba todays game is more finesse. Its all about offense which is not bad but I miss the smash mouth football aspect. I miss LT
My goodness. At 2:25 of the video, against the Chicago Bears, on a 4th and 1, Lawrence Taylor blows up the blocking fullback AND the running back in the offensive backfield to deny the first down conversion.
LT was involved in every freaking Defensive play during the game. Relentless, always giving you 100%. He will always be the GOAT. Madden once said he is the best football player in the game.
this brings back great memories. i always said LT in his prime could outrun every running back he played against. look at how many hall of famers he destroyed in these clips.
Can you block him with: Tackles... nope Guards... nope Tightends... nope Backs... nope Tackles and backs... nope Tightends and backs... nope Wild women, whiskey and a pair of handcuffs... that might slow him down. Seriously, the opponents should have sent cases of beer and escorts to his room the night before the game.
Fantastic job on your Lawrence Taylor videos...Taylor was a little before my time so it's nice to see more than the same dozen highlights over and over again. Clearly his run defense went underappreciated compared with his pass rushing. He's all over the field!
The crazy thing about LT and his run defense is that he makes plays he isn't supposed to make. A good OLB tackles sweep and pitches to his side and take on force on run plays. But LT takes that to the next level. He makes plays clear on the other side of the the line of scrimmage. Amazing
Anyone watching these games back in the day who was not familiar with LT might have thought his name was "Guesswho". And as great as Taylor was, it's also amazing how those Giant defenses just swarmed on the runner after Taylor's initial hit.
I watched every one of these games as a kid, and what amazed me then still amazes me now. Great against the run for his entire career, but watching him run down the sweeps run away from him time after time just never gets old.
Football Player. Linebacker. Forget all those one-dimensional highlights from ESPN and the NFL Network along with the same old tired sound bites from media hacks who paint a picture of him being a pass rusher only. That's all they show and it's all they ever talk about. You would think that the only thing LT ever did on the football field was rush the passer after watching and listening to that non-stop barrage narrow minded nonsense. Good work on these vids, John Smith. This video on run defense along with the other on goal line defense both show what a truly physical presence Taylor was against the run. Oh and by the way, people should really pay attention to how that man gives up his body taking on blockers. How he would hurl himself into a lead blocker and take both him and the ball carrier out. Or take out the blocker so his teammates could make the tackle. Unselfish ballplayer. And notice how many times he would line up in the middle and shoot the gaps to make big stops. Outside pass rusher? Please..... Lawrence Taylor. Football Player.
Had the privilege to watch him play his career in the Meadowlands, he and the rest of the blue wall DFense kept a poor offensive team competitive during the early 80"s. One Heck of a Player!
The amazing thing to me is the offense basically conceded by running away from him & LT still made a play! He was not a big hitter but if he got a hand on you it was over. You hardly ever see anyone break an LT tackle. He struck fear in the heart of his opponents & you can tell because he was a trash talker but no one responded! Lol
A selection of the biggest hits in this video 0:52 blindsides the rb 2:23 smashes Payton and the fb! 5:20 unabated to the rb and squashes him 6:16 completely detonates little Gary Clark
The ridiculous thing about LT, is people assume he was a modern day pass rushing 3-4 outside linebacker, because of his sack statistics. But he was actually playing the "Jack" linebacker position, which meant he was the linebacker most often in coverage! He wasn't a specialist pass rusher. He was the best coverage linebacker on the team, who only rushed the passer on the blitz. And he was also the best run defender in the league as well!
Excellent material, I must say the beginning of this video started off a bit shaky because it only showed him making plays from the back side without being blocked, but then as the video progressed it showed LT making plays straight on as well as on the backside. Fullback dive plays, trap plays, guard-tackle counter blocks and much more he did it all. This video should be viewed by every idiot who ever thought or stated that LT was only a pass rusher. From a former good linebacker as I was 30 plus years ago to the greatest of all time, I salute you Laurence Taylor!! Impressive! (Dick Carr, outside/inside linebacker 1983-89, and 96.)
That Man was a freak of Nature..relentless pursuit..Nonstop beast mode the entire Game..The absolute Best Defensive player I ever witness play the Game in 50 years of Watching....
