Lawrence Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and future Canton, Ohio, inductee Tom Brady discussed how the game has changed from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Taylor, Brady, and famous sportscaster Jim Grey discussed the variations in the regulations on the most recent episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast earlier this week. The former New York Giants linebacker told Brady that he wished he could have played during his era.
Lawrence Taylor, #56 of the New York Giants, competes against the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL football game on September 30, 1990, at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images
“Tom, I’ll tell you, I wish I could have played in your era,” the fierce defender admitted. “I could see how you accomplished all that you achieved. Because you’ve accomplished more offensively than any other player could have imagined. If I enter the game thinking, “How am I going to have to play you?” Wow. That’s a lot of work, man.
“You’ve got some excellent skills, man. You should be quite proud of what you have accomplished. And I know you’re really proud because, when we look at the best, think about the best, and reminisce about the best, your name has to be at the top, at the number one spot right now. You’re the number one football player I haven’t struck, OK?”
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Taylor acknowledged that he did not believe he could be as good in today’s game as he was in his heyday “because of the rules.”
Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, waves after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston on February 5, 2017. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback expressed dissatisfaction with the way existing rules have impacted the game.
“I say the rules now are a lot different even than when I started,” Brady was quoted as saying. “And I’ve been on record for saying this, I’ve said Jim a thousand times, I really don’t like the way things have turned out because there are people who believe that if you hit the quarterback, there would be a flag. And in truth, defences should be aggressive.
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“There was a hit on Patrick Mahomes last night while he was rushing out of bounds, and he wasn’t even out of bounds. And, you know, quarterbacks should learn how to toss the ball away. They need to learn how to read defences and get the ball out of their hands. I’ve always believed that getting rid of the ball was my best kind of protection. Even in my day, it would have been difficult for you to fire me because I knew how talented you were and how quickly I needed to to
Lawrence Taylor, a Hall of Famer, watches a game between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts on November 3, 2014, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Taylor said he didn’t see how a running back like D’Andre Swift of the Philadelphia Eagles could be punished for running over a defensive back. He admitted he “probably wouldn’t last a game.”
Grey inquired as to whether he would be thrown out or if he would follow the regulations.
“Have you ever known me to conform to anything?” Taylor replied with a laugh. “I’d be booted out. It had been difficult for me to play. I might have concluded the season owing them money.
Taylor won two Super Bowl championships and was named Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive first of the Year in his first season of 1981. He was the MVP in 1986, when the Giants won their first Super Bowl.
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He had 142 sacks in his career, including 20.5 in the 1986 season.
ss the ball that day.”
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