Taylor's main asset was his incredible athleticism and intense energy on the field. But I honestly think he was a better player in his first three years in the NFL (when the Giants were a pretty bad team most of the time) than at any time after that. In his early years he was a very complete player -- a linebacker who could rush the quarterback, stuff the run, and chase receivers all over the field. The NFL had probably never seen a linebacker like that before.
During his "best" years (from the standpoint of public accolades and media coverage) in the mid-1980s he was still a great athlete and didn't lose any of that intensity, but he became very one-dimensional at his outside linebacker spot. The Giants played a 3-4 defense in those days, and as the weak side OLB Taylor was used almost exclusively as a pass rusher. He wasn't the same complete linebacker he had been earlier in his career, and I've wondered if his highly-publicized drug problems and reputation for avoiding any kind of off-season workout regimen were a major factor.
He still put up great numbers, and even won the league's MVP award in the Giants' 1986 Super Bowl season. But it's no coincidence that he flourished at a time when right defensive end Leonard Marshall molded himself into a Pro Bowler and became a major pass-rushing threat in his own right.
If you can get your hands on any highlight films from that era (or better yet full game tapes), go back and watch the Giants from the 1985 playoffs through the 1986 season and Super Bowl XXI. Despite winning the MVP award in 1986, LT wasn't even the best linebacker on the Giants that year.
Great numbers in 1986? How about stupendous? He recorded his finest statistical season in 1986 when he was named the NFL's MVP, becoming the first defensive player to do so since 1971. That season, Taylor recorded a career high 20.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. Has any LB ever had a better year?
Guys like Marshall, Harry Carson, Carl Banks and Gary Reasons were fortunate to have LT drawing double and triple teams. This enabled them to perform like All-stars. Like so many great players, LT made his teammates play better. He was such a force that the opposition had to stop him even if it meant making themselves vulnerable elsewhere. I have watched pro football for 50 years and never saw a defensive player dominate a game like LT.
If you can get your hands on any highlight films from that era (or better yet full game tapes), go back and watch the Giants from the 1985 playoffs through the 1986 season and Super Bowl XXI. Despite winning the MVP award in 1986, LT wasn't even the best linebacker on the Giants that year.
I don't need highlight films. I watched the games at the time. He was definitely the best linebacker on the team for the reasons I mentioned previously. His teammates benefitted from his presence on the field.