Except for LT who won the NFL's MVP, the first time a defensive player had won the award since 1971. I am not taking anything away from Banks or any of the other Giant linebackers. As I said, when you have a force like LT on the field, it makes the jobs of the other players easier. It is like having Shaq in the middle. When people collapse on him, someone else is open.
But just realize something here. If you look at all the other defensive players on the Giants in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you won't find very many of them who got noticeably better after LT showed up in 1981. Harry Carson was one of the top linebackers in the league before LT got there, and Brad Van Pelt didn't suddenly get better at his left outside linebacker position just because LT started playing on the right side.