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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.

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.

In 1986 Carl Banks turned in what may have been the finest season I've ever seen from a linebacker. Playing the strong side in a 3-4 defense isn't terribly glamorous, but back then he played that position better than anyone I've ever seen (he also anchored the Giants defense during the first four games of 1987 when Taylor was out of commission for a 30-day drug suspension).

Banks effectively shut down running games almost single-handedly with his exceptional instincts and play recognition skills, and with his remarkable ability to overpower an opposing tight end to close off a running back's wide runs to his side of the field. Go back and look at the tapes from that season -- especially the team's dominant defensive performances and the three post-season games in which they outscored their opposition by a combined 105-23 score. The best linebacker in a blue jersey in those games wore #58, not #56.