For decades, legendary New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor has comfortably found himself on lists of the greatest players in league history.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone, then, that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year cracked another “all-time” team.
This time, Taylor earned the title of the best NFL player to come from Virginia, courtesy of FanSided’s Nick Villano.
“Taylor sacked quarterbacks in bunches, and his mixture of speed and aggression was unmatched,” Villano wrote. “His career was must-see TV from start to finish.”
Taylor is one of 11 Hall of Fame players born in Virginia, though he’s the only one that Villano mentioned in that write-up.
Former Giants quarterback Kurt Warner (Iowa) and the versatile Jim Thorpe (Oklahoma) also cracked Villano’s list.
The context of Lawrence Taylor’s career speaks volumes
Outside of the three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is arguably the most important and celebrated player in modern New York Giants history.
In fact, you’ll forgive anyone who argues that Taylor clears Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler, and Eli Manning by a long shot.
Taylor certainly ranks above them from statistical and on-field impacts. Defensive players winning NFL MVP — in a Super Bowl season, no less — go a long way in boosting one’s legacy.
I can’t speak for the younger generations, but I remember teachers telling us in the early and mid-2000s that Wikipedia was evil and not to be used as a source.
With respect to my fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Kurlanzik, the top of Taylor’s entry warrants a mention here.
“He is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time – and considered by some as the best football player ever,” his Wikipedia page reads.
I’m not sure that I’d go that far, but he’s absolutely among the most elite players ever to take the field.
Taylor’s 142 sacks say more than we ever could, and he revolutionized what it meant to be a pass-rusher.
It’s no shock that the NFL began officially recognizing sacks following his 9 ½-sack rookie season.
And although Taylor has had a string of off-field issues, that clearly didn’t affect his candidacy for Villano’s list.
So congratulations to Taylor, who can add an appearance on yet another list to the extensive book of his accomplishments.
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