Lawrence Taylor snubbed Tom Brady as the NFL GOAT for 4x Super Bowl champion – “He got all the rules on his side”
Lawrence Taylor, considered among the greatest defensive players in the history of the NFL, has snubbed Tom Brady as the GOAT in favor of Joe Montana. Taylor’s athleticism, explositivity and overall playing style are credited with changing how coaches position their players and turning the outside linebacker into a very aggressive position.
However, when it comes to other GOATs, Taylor has a very hot take – one that pertains to the position he would often harass: quarterback. In February 2023, he said on the I Am Athlete podcast (44:41) why he preferred his old foe Joe Montana, a four-time Super Bowl champion, over Tom Brady:
“Listen, Tom Brady got all the rules on his side. You can’t touch him. . . If you hit him, if you breathe on him, they’re gonna throw a flag.”
Lawrence Taylor also snubbed Aaron Donald in GOAT debate
That would not be Lawrence Taylor’s only GOAT hot take, though. In that same podcast appearance, he also snubbed now-retired defensive tackle Aaron Donald when asked about his five all-time best defensive players.
By the time of the episode, the Los Angeles Ram had accumulated a resume befitting a potential first-ballot inductee: Super Bowl champion, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, sacks leader and perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
However, according to the former New York Giant, the list would have himself on top followed by the following names in descending order:
Defensive end Reggie White
Defensive end Deacon Jones
Cornerback/safery Ronnie Lott
Taylor also sneered at the notion that Donald would eventually surpass him (42:57):
“Before you do your show, you need to be in your daggone locker room studying and knowing the story of the person you’re gonna interview. Listen, because I do it all. OK? I do everything. No. I coach too! Yeah, I do everything!”
Throughout his 13-year career, Lawrence Taylor had 132.5 official sacks (the stat didn’t become official until 1982, so his 9.5 as a rookie in 1981 doesn’t count).
He also had 56 forced fumbles, the unofficial career record, as the NFL didn’t begin tracking the category until 1993 (Robert Mathis has the official record at 54).
Taylor’s resume includes two Super Bowls, three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and an MVP award (one of only two defensive players to do so, the other being Alan Page).
