Football Function
NFL Immortals #7: Lawrence Taylor
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VGW Group, void repurhibited by law, 18 plus, turns in condition supply. Let's have a warm L.T. welcome. Come on, Bobby. Come on, Bobby. Thank you, Mr. Love. Tell me, what is your secret? How do you find something right position all the time? That's a good question. What happens is the center has the ball first, and the quarterback will say, "Hey, that's when the center puts the ball into the hands of the quarterback." So what I'll do is, I'll start tackling the quarterback, unless he gets the ball to somebody else, in which case, I'll try to tackle that first. Jammer, what brings me to my next point, don't smoke crack. What's going on, everybody? Guys and girls, welcome back to another installment of Inafella Mortals, a summer series show here on the Football Function podcast. Thank you guys so much for tuning in here, as always. I am the host of the show, Michael Ritter. You can find me on Exit Michael V. Ritter, or on Instagram at Michael Ritter 5. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of this series here. It's one that I really enjoyed bringing into the, you know, into the fold last year. We started in June, stopped doing them, you know, late July, I think July 26th, was the final episode of Inafella Mortals that we did last year. It's just the summer series. But, you know, obviously, because we started in June last year and we didn't start in June this year, we're going to go into August this year. So we're definitely going to get at least seven or eight installments of this. And I'm really looking forward to it just to kind of recap and remind you guys the episodes that I've already done here. I do have to pull it up. We've done six. I thought we did seven, but we've only done six editions of this. We started off with Devin Hester, and then we did Emmett Smith, and then Troy Palomalu, and then Jerry Rice, followed by Ray Lewis, and then Tony Gonzalez was the sixth one. So obviously nothing but Hall of Famers. Nothing but very elite, the cream of the crop. We've yet to not do a Hall of Famer on this podcast, and that is not going to stop today. We're going to do L.T. Lawrence Taylor, one of the greatest defensive players of all time, obviously. I'm about to tell you guys all about him. So I'm not going to banter here in the pre discussion of L.T., but just to kind of pick up where we left off the echelon of players, the level of players that we're doing. I mean, we're taking the cream of the crop here, and I'm looking forward to learning about all these players. I learned a lot about L.T., and just how dominant he was. Obviously, he played his last NFL season the year that I was born. So we went to 1993, which kind of ties up exactly where we are right now with our team of Destiny series. We just dropped the 1992 Dallas Cowboys and talked about Super Bowl 27 and their third Super Bowl championship that they earned. So if you haven't already listened to that episode, definitely go ahead and do that, and also I hope you had a very fun and very safe 4th of July. It's always one of the more enjoyable times of the year because it comes in the summer, obviously, but it's just a reason to barbecue. Hang out with your friends, have some adult beverages. If that's something that you like to partake in, there's all kinds of different ways to enjoy the 4th of July. So hopefully you did that if you obviously are an American and if you're an overseas listener, which I know we have a lot of shout out to all of you guys as well, hopefully you're having a pretty good weekend and obviously hopefully you enjoyed this episode of NFL Immortals that I'm bringing to you here. I'm very much looking forward to doing this. I actually started this research last year because that's why I felt like I did 7 is because I did the research and the preparation for 7, but I never got around to recording Lawrence Taylor's episode. So in my mind, I prepared for 7, but I didn't publish 7. So here we go. I'm looking forward to getting this one underway. Let's go ahead and do just that. Lawrence Julius Taylor, nicknamed LT, is an American former football linebacker for the national football league 13 years. He's widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time. After an all American career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Taylor was selected by the Giants second overall in the 1981 NFL draft. Although controversy surrounded the selection due to Taylor's contract demands, the two sides quickly resolved the issue. Taylor was named both the NFL defensive rookie of the year in 1981 and the only NFL player to win the AP NFL defensive player of the year award in his rookie season. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Taylor was a disruptive force at outside linebacker and is credited with changing defensive game plans, defensive pass rushing schemes, offensive line blocking scheme, and offensive formations used in the NFL. Taylor produced double digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990, including a career high of 20 and a half in 1986. He also won a record three AP NFL defensive player of the year award since tied by JJ Wadden Aaron Donald and was named the league's MVP for his performance during the 1986 season. He and Alan Page, 1971, are the only defensive players in league history to earn NFL MVP. Taylor was named First Team All Pro in eight of his first 10 seasons and Second Team All Pro in the other two. He was a key member of the Giants defense nicknamed Big Blue Wrecking Crew that led New York to victories in Super Bowls 21 and 25. During the 1980s, Taylor, Carl Banks, Gary Reasons, Brad Vampel, Brian Kelly, Pepper Johnson, and Hall of Amor Henry Carson earned the Giants line back in core reputation as one of the best in the NFL, along with the nickname Crunchbunch. Taylor has lived a very controversial lifestyle. During and after his playing career, he was known for his on-game persona, and at one point inadvertently caused a compound fracture of the right leg of quarterback Joe Taisman. He admitted to using drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL, and will suspend it for 30 days in 1988 by the league for failing drug tests. His drug abuse escalated after his retirement, and he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession. From 1998 to 2009, Taylor lived a sober drug-free life. He worked as a color commentator on sporting events after his retirement, and pursued a career as an actor. His personal life came under public scrutiny in 2010 when he was arrested for the statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl. After he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, Taylor was registered as a low-risk sex offender. I just felt like we had to cover all bases, obviously. Might be a little bit of a questionable call to mention that in this series here, considering what it's about and what it represents. I understand that we have to paint a full picture, and we have to really tell all the facts whenever you're talking about somebody. We'll get into everything else, but I just felt like we had to definitely let the listeners know. It was my responsibility to not sugarcoat and paint a rosy sunshine picture when that may not have been the case. I felt like it's my obligation and my duty to give you the facts and be as truthful as I can here. We're going to continue on here with Lawrence Taylor getting to his early life. Taylor was the first of three sons, born to Clarence and Iris Taylor in Williamsburg, Virginia. His father worked as a dispatcher at the Newport News Shipyards, while his mother was a schoolteacher. Referred to as Lonnie by his family, Taylor was a mischievous youth. His mother said that he was a challenging child. Whether the other two boys were going to do something, they were definitely asked for permission. Lonnie would just do it, and when you found out about it, he would give you a big story. Taylor concentrated on baseball as his youth, playing catcher, and only began playing football at the advanced age of 15. He didn't actually play organized high school football until the following year, which was his junior year, and was not heavily recruited coming out of high school. After graduating from Lafayette High School in 1977, Taylor attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a team captain and won number 98. Originally recruited as a defensive lineman, Taylor switched to linebacker before the 1979 season. He had 16 sacks in his final year there and set numerous defensive records. He was recognized as a consensus first team, All-American, and the ACC Player of the Year in 1980, the coaching staff marveled at his intense reckless style of play. As a freshman playing on special teams, he jumped a good 6 or 7 feet in the air to block a punt that landed on the back of his neck, said North Carolina assistant coach Bobby Kale. He was reckless, just reckless. You wouldn't see later retired. Lawrence Taylor's jersey number, obviously. In the 1981 NFL Draft, Taylor was selected by the New York Giants in the first round, the number 2 overall pick. In a poll of NFL general managers taken before the draft, 26 of the league's 28 general managers at the time said that if they had the first selection, they would select LT. One of the two general managers who said they would not take Taylor was Bum Phillips, who had just been hired as the head coach and general manager by the New Orleans Saints. As fate would have it for Taylor, the Saints were also the team that had the number 1 overall pick in the 81 draft. Giants general manager George Young predicted before the draft that he would be better than NFL legends such as Dick Buckas talking about LT, obviously. He went on to say, "Taylor's the best college linebacker I've ever seen. Sure, I saw Dick Buckas play. There's no doubt in my mind about Taylor. He's bigger and stronger than Buckas. On the blitz, he's just devastating." On draft day, Phillips made good on his promise not to draft LT and the Saints instead selected Heisman Trophy winning running back George Rogers with the first overall pick, leaving the Giants with the decision of whether or not to select Lawrence Taylor. To the raucous approval of the crowd and attendance in the draft, which was held in New York City, the Giants selected him. Privately, Taylor was hesitant about playing for the New York Giants as he'd hoped to have been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and was unimpressed with a tour of Giants Stadium he was taken on after the draft. But publicly, however, he expressed excitement about the opportunity to play in the city. Taylor did change his stance after he was drafted as Harry Carson made a point to reach out to him. And Taylor said, "He talked to some players and coaches, and he got some things straightened out." One of the factors that the Giants said they considered in selecting Lawrence Taylor was a solid reputation. He was the cleanest player in the draft. "By that, I mean, there was no rap on him," said head coach Ray Perkins. "Great potential as linebacker, a fine young man, free of injuries." Taylor chose to wear #56 because he was a fan of Cowboys linebacker Thomas Henderson. As it would turn out, Taylor would have a longer and more successful career than Rogers, who the Saints took ahead of him, who had several 1,000-yard rushing seasons and made two pro bowls, but he was injury prone and was forced to retire after just seven seasons in the NFL. Lawrence Taylor's talent was evident from the start of training camp. Reports came out of the Giants training compound of the exploits of the new phenom. Taylor's teammates took to calling him Superman and joked that his locker should be replaced with a foam booth. Phil Sims, the team's quarterback said, "On the pass rush, he's an animal. He's either going to run around you or run over you with his quickness. He's full speed after two steps." Taylor made his NFL exhibition debut, which is pre-season, on August 8, 1981, recording two sacks in the Giants 23-7 win over the Chicago Bears. Before the regular season started, words spread around the league about Lawrence Taylor. Years after facing him in an exhibition game, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw recalled, "He danged near killed me. I just kept saying, 'Who is this guy? He kept coming from my blind side and just ripped my ribs to pieces.'" We all have somewhere we're trying to get to. As the largest energy producer in Colorado, Chevron is helping meet rising demand, and we're working to do it responsibly. Our next-gen, tankless facilities reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our operations by more than 90 percent compared to our older designs. Working to provide Colorado with energy that's affordable, reliable, and ever cleaner. So everyone can get to where they want to be. You've arrived. That's energy and progress. Visit chevron.com/tankless. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save, too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero, and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year, or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Victoria Cash. Thanks for calling the Lucky Land Hotline. If you feel like you do the same thing every day, press 1. If you're ready to have some serious fun, for the chance to redeem some serious prizes, press 2. We heard you loud and clear. So go to luckylandslots.com right now, and play over a hundred social casino-style games for free. Get lucky today. At luckylandslots.com. Available to players in the U.S. Excluding Washington, no purchase necessary, V.G.W. Group, void reprated by law. 18+ turns a division supply. Taylor developed what has been described as a quote-unquote "love-hate relationship" with Bill Parcells, the Giants defensive coordinator whenever he was drafted and later their head coach. Parcells often rode players in the hopes of driving them to better performance. Taylor did not appreciate this approach, and early on told Parcells, "I've had enough. You either cut me or trade me, but get the fuck off my back." Parcells kept on Taylor, but privately told some veterans, "I like that LT. That motherfucker's got a mean streak." Taylor made his NFL regular season debut on September 6, 1981, and a 24-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Inside from incurring a penalty for a late hit on Eagles running back Perry Harrington, Taylor played a nondescript game. In a game versus the St. Louis Cardinals later in the season, Taylor rushed and sacked the passer when he was supposed to drop into coverage. When told by Parcells that, you know, that was not what he was assigned to do on this play. And what he did was not in the playbook. Taylor responded, "Well, we better put it in on Monday because that plays a dandy." He recorded nine-and-a-half sacks in 1981, and his rookie season is considered one of the best in NFL history. He was named 1981's Defense of Rookie of the Year and Defense of Player of the Year. Taylor's arrival helped the Giants defense produce their points allowed from 425 points in 1980 to only 257 in 1981. They finished the season 9 and 7, up five games from the previous season, in advance to the NFL divisional playoffs, where they lost 38-24 to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. The San Francisco win was due partly to a new tactic 49ers coach Bill Walsh used to slow down Taylor. Walsh assigned guard John Ayers, the team's best blocker, to block Taylor, and although Taylor still recorded a sack in three tackles, he was not as effective as normal. In contrast to his on-filled success, Taylor was already developing a reputation for recklessness off the field after nearly getting killed during the season when he was speeding, resulting in a car crash. Young told the team's trainer, "He'd be surprised if the linebacker lived past the age of 30 and the Giants ensured Taylor's life for $2 million. The 1982 NFL season, which was shortened to nine regular season games by the player's strike, included one of the most memorable plays in Taylor's career. In the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, the teams were tied six to six, early in the fourth quarter, when the Lions drove deep into New York territory. Lions quarterback Gary Gangelson dropped back to pass and threw the ball out of his left towards the sideline. Taylor ran in front of the intended receiver, intercepted the pass, and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. This play was indicative of Taylor's unusual combination, even for a linebacker of power with speed. He was again named defensive player of the year for the second year in his career, back to back. Way to start, way to come out of the gate, that's just absolutely insane. After the 1982 season, Perkins, who was the team's head coach, he became the head coach of the University of Alabama, and the Giants hired the defensive coordinator Bill Parsells to replace him. In the coming years, this change proved crucial to the Giants and Taylor. Leading up to the 1983 season, Taylor engaged in a training camp holdout that lasted three weeks, and ended when he came back to the team under his old contract with three games left in the preseason. Although Taylor recorded nine sacks and made the all-pro team for the third consecutive season in 1983, the Giants struggled. The team went 3-12-1, and Parsells received a heavy criticism from the fans and the media. Taylor was forced to play inside linebacker for part of the season, a position which allowed him to rush the passer a lot less. When Carson was injured, despite this change, Taylor made the 1983 all-pro team at both outside linebacker and inside linebacker, becoming the first first team all-pro in NFL history, selected for two positions in the same year. That's absolutely crazy. Colomack did the same thing way later, but else he was the first person to do it, and that's pretty much who Colomack has been compared to. For a good chunk of his career, especially whenever he was just wrecking the league. But frustrated by the losing, Taylor began acting out, arriving late for meetings, not participating in conditioning drills in practice. After the season, Taylor was involved in a fight for his services between the Giants and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. Taylor was given a $1 million interest fee, 25-year loan by the Generals owner, Donald Trump, on December 14, 1983. With the provision that he began playing in the USFL in 1988, pretty much saying, "Hey, and five years, bro, get your ass over here and come join this league," which was strange. I can't believe this actually happened. It'd be something to look into you, I'll tell you that, just because obviously I wasn't alive during this time, but it just seems like the USFL and Donald Trump getting involved. I'm not surprised that that didn't work out. I'm not surprised that obviously any league that tries to rival the NFL, you're going to get stopped, and we'll find out all about that. Taylor regretted the decision. Less than a month later, pretty much attempted to redo the whole thing. His agent was able to negotiate by meeting with Trump personally, and then the Giants, which resulted in allowing Taylor to go with the Giants. Taylor got a six-year, $6.55 million package that included a $1 million interest-free loan. The main results of these negotiations were threefold. One, Taylor returned the $1 million to Trump. Two, the Giants paid Trump $750,000 over the next five seasons. In three, the Giants gave Taylor a new six-year, $6.2 million contract. After this, the Giants' record rebounded to $9 and $7 in 1984, and Taylor had his fourth all-pro season. He got off to a quick start, recording four sacks in a September game. In the playoffs, the Giants defeated the LA Rams 16 to 13, but lost 21 to 10 to the eventual champion, San Francisco 49ers. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's kind of a theme here. In contrast to the previous season, the Giants headed into the 1985 season with a sense of optimism after their successful 1984 campaign and a five-and-oh preseason record, which is crazy to me, five games in the preseason. Holy shit, we're about to only get two games I think here coming soon. The Giants went 10 and 6, and Taylor spearheaded a defense that led the NFL in sacks with 68. Taylor had 13 himself. One of the more memorable plays of his career occurred during this season. On a Monday night football game against the Redskins, Taylor's sack of Redskins quarterback Joe Thysman inadvertently resulted in a compound fracture of Thysman's right leg. After the sack, a distraught Taylor's screen for paramedics to attend Thysman, although the sack ended Thysman's career. Thysman has never blamed Taylor for the injury. Taylor says he's never really seen video of this play. We never plans on it, never wants to. During the first round of the playoffs, the Giants defeated the defending champions, San Francisco 49ers, 17 to 3, but lost to the eventual champion, Chicago Bears, and the second round 21 to 0. So it just seems like the Giants were always just running into the wrong team. They were running into the team of Destiny. It's happened a lot. I mean, even my Atlanta Falcons have lost in the playoffs, especially early in Matt Ryan's career, we were always losing to the team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 45, we lost to the Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl 46. We lost to the New York Giants, Super Bowl 47. We lost to the San Francisco 49ers, and they didn't actually champion him. I know they didn't win the Super Bowl, but we all know they could have. I mean, that was a blackout at halftime, and they literally came this close to winning it there. So I feel the Giants pain here. Luckily for them, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and they are able to reach brighter days. In 1986, Taylor had one of the most successful seasons by a defensive player in the history of the NFL. He recorded a league leading 20 and a half sack and became one of just two defensive players during the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and the only defensive player to be the unanimous selection for MVP. He also was named a defensive player of the year for the third time. The Giants finished the season 14 and 2 and out scored San Francisco and Washington by a combined score of 66 to 3 in the NFC playoffs. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated alone, the week leading up to the Super Bowl, which was Super Bowl 21, with a warning from the magazine to the Denver Broncos regarding Lawrence Taylor. The Giants overcame a slow start in the Super Bowl, but they went on to defeat the Broncos 39 to 20. Taylor made a key touchdown preventing tackle on a goal line play in the first half, stopping Broncos quarterback John Elway as he sprinted out on a rollout. With the Super Bowl win, Taylor capped off an unprecedented start to his career. After six years, he had been the NFL defensive rookie of the year, NFL defensive player of the year, three times in 81, 82, and 86. First team all-pro six times, become the first NFL defensive player to win unanimously MVP, and Elway's led his team to a championship. After the win, however, Taylor felt let down rather than elated. Taylor said, "When the Super Bowl was over, everyone was so excited, but by then I felt deflated. I'd won every award, had my best season, finally won the Super Bowl. I was on top of the world, right? So what could be next? Nothing. The thrill is the chase to get to the top. Every day, the excitement builds and builds and builds, and then when you're finally there and the game is over, and then nothing." The Giants appeared to have a bright future coming off of their 1986 championship season. As they were one of the younger teams in the league, they struggled the next season, however, falling to six and nine in the strike shortened at 1987 season. Taylor caused strife in the locker room whenever he broke the picket line after early struggles by the team. He explained his decision by saying the Giants are losing, and I'm losing 60,000 a week. He finished the season as the team's leader in sacks with 12 and 12 games played, but missed a game due to a hamstring injury, ending his consecutive games played streak at 106. The Giants looked to rebound to their championship ways in 1988, but the start of the season was marred by controversy surrounding Taylor. He tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by the league for 30 days, as it was a second violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. The first result in 1987 had been kept private and was not known to the public at the time. He was kept away from the press during the period and checked himself into rehab early September. Taylor's over-the-edge lifestyle was becoming an increasing concern for fans and team officials. This was especially true given the eventual career paths of talented players like Hollywood Henderson and others whose drug problems derailed their careers. The Giants went two and two in the four games that Taylor missed. When Taylor returned, he was his usual dominant self as he led the team in sacks again with 15 and a half and only 12 games played. The season also contained some of the more memorable moments of Taylor's career. In a crucial late-season game with playoff implications against the New Orleans Saints, Taylor played through a tone-pectoral muscle, a torn-pectoral muscle. To record seven tackles, three sacks and two-force fumbles, obviously making them pay for passing on him with the number one pick in 1981. Taylor's presence in the lineup was important as the Giants offense was having trouble moving the ball on every single drive and was dominated in time of possession. Television cameras repeatedly cut to the sidelines to show him an extreme physical pain as he was being attended to by the Giants medical staff. Taylor had already developed a reputation of playing through pain. In a 1983 game against the Eagles, the team's training staff had to hide his helmet to prevent the injured Taylor from returning to the field. Taylor's shoulder was so injured that he had to wear a harness to keep it in its place. The Giants held on for a 13-12 win and Parcels later called Taylor's performance the greatest game I ever saw. However, the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in 1988 at 10-6 by losing tiebreakers with the Eagles in their division and the Rams for the wild card spot. In 1989, Taylor recorded 15 sacks. He was forced to play the latter portion of the season with the fractured tibia suffered in a 34-24 loss of the 49ers in week 12 which caused him to sit out the second half of several games. Despite his off-the-field problems, Taylor remained popular among his teammates and was voted defensive co-captain along with Carl Banks. The two filled the defensive captain spot vacated by retired Harry Carson. The retirement of 9-time Pro Bowl or Carson broke up the Giants linebacker core of Carson, reasons, banks and Taylor which spearheaded the team's defense nicknamed the Big Blue Wrecking Crew in the 1980s. We all have somewhere we're trying to get to. As the largest energy producer in Colorado, Chevron is helping meet rising demand and we're working to do it responsibly. Our next-gen tankless facilities reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our operations by more than 90% compared to our older designs. Working to provide Colorado with energy that's affordable, reliable and ever cleaner. So everyone can get to where they want to be. You've arrived. That's Energy in Progress. Visit chevron.com/tankless. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Hey guys, it is Ryan. I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I'm a bit of a fun fanatic when I can. I like to work, but I like fun too. And now I can tell you about my favorite place to have fun. Shumba Casino. They have hundreds of social casino style games to choose from, with new games released each week. You can play for free and each day brings a new chance to collect daily bonuses. So join me in the fun. Sign up now at shumbaughassino.com. Sponsored by Shumba Casino, no purchase necessary. VGW Group, void where prohibited by law. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. The Giants went 12 and 4 in advance to the playoffs and then exciting it down to the wire game. The Rams eliminated the Giants 19 to 13 in the first round, despite Taylor's two sacks and one force fumbled. Taylor held out of training camp before the 1990 season, demanding a new contract with a salary of 2 million per year. Talks dragged into September with neither side budging, and as the season approached, Taylor received fines at the rate of 2500 a day. He signed a three year $5 million contract, making him the highest paid defensive player in the league, just four days before the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason, Taylor recorded three sacks and a forced fumble against the Eagles in the season opener. He finished with 10 and a half sacks and earned his 10th Pro Bowl in his many years. Although the season marked the first time Taylor's career, or the first time in Taylor's career, that he was not selected first team All Pro. The Giants started out 10 and 0 and finished with a 13 and 3 record in the playoffs. The Giants defeated the Bears 31 to 3 and faced the rival 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The Giants won 15 to 13 after Taylor beat two successful blocks by 49ers tied in Brent Jones and fullback Tom Rathman to get into the 49ers offensive back field to be in position to recover a key fumble by Roger Craig forced by nose tackle Eric Howard late in the game to set up Mark bars or mat bars game winning fill goal and Super Bowl 25. They played the Buffalo Bills and won one of the more entertaining Super Bowls in history 20 to 19 after Buffalo's Scott Norwood missed a potential game winning fill goal in the closing seconds of the game. As you guys know, we just covered this in team of destiny. So like I said, it's all fitting that we're bringing LT into the equation here and I'm glad that it's working out like this. Continuing on here following the 1990 season, Parcells with whom Taylor had become very close retired and the team was taken over by Ray Handley. 1991 marked a steep decline in Taylor's production. It became the first season in his career in which he failed to make the Pro Bowl squad after setting a then record by making his first 10 years in the league. Taylor finished with seven sacks and 14 games in the Giants defense while still respectable was no longer one of the top units in the league. Taylor rebounded in the early stages of what many thought would be his final season in 1992. Through close to nine games, Taylor was on pace for 10 sacks and the Giants were five and four. However, a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a game on November 8th, 1992 against Green Bay sidelined him for the final seven games during which the team went one and six. Before the injury, Taylor had missed only four games due to injury in his 12-year career. Throughout the 1992 season and the ensuing off season, Taylor was not committal about his future, alternately saying he might retire than later hinting he wanted a longer term contract. Taylor returned for the 1993 season and ties by the chance to play with a new coach, Dan Reeves, and determined not to end his career due to an injury. The Giants had a resurgent season in 1993. They finished 11 and 5 and competed for the top NSC playoff seed. Taylor finished with six sacks and the Giants defense led the NFL and fewest points allowed. They defeated the Viking 17-0 in the opening round of the playoffs. The next week on January 15th, 1994, and what would be Taylor's final game, the Giants were beaten 44-3 by the San Francisco 49ers. As the game came to a conclusion, television cameras drew in close on Taylor who was crying. He announced his retirement at the post-game press conference saying, "I think it's time for me to retire. I've done everything I can do. I've been to Super Bowls, been to the playoffs. I've done things that other people haven't been able to do in this game before. After 13 years, it's time for me to go." Taylor ended his career with 1,089 tackles, 132 and a half sacks, plus 9 and a half tallied as a rookie before the stat was officially recognized. Nine interceptions, two pick sixes, 33 fourth thumbles, 11 fumble recoveries. Lawrence Taylor, this is a quote from John Madden. Lawrence Taylor, defensively, has had as big of an impact as any player I've ever seen. He changed the way defense is played, the way pass rushing is played, the way linebackers play and the way offenses block linebackers. Taylor is considered one of the best players to ever play in the NFL and has been ranked as the top defensive player in the league history by some news outlets, media members, former players and coaches. He has also been described as one of the most quote unquote feared and intimidating players in NFL history. Taylor's explosive speed and power is credited with changing the outside linebacker position from one of Reed and React to aggression and attack. Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs developed the two tight end offense and the position of Hback to prevent Taylor from blitzing into the backfield unhindered. Just hold on, before I say a quote from, you know, obviously a Hall of Fame coach like Joe, Joe Gibbs. Think about what I just said there. The two tight end offense was invented to stop this guy, which a lot of teams use now. Think about it. Think about all the years we saw the Patriots use too tight end offense. It was a Gronk and Hernandez and the teams that have done it'll help a lot. You know, since then, that was a, you know, initially created to stop one player, a position was created to stop this guy, like, and it goes on further than that. It's just it's crazy that so much goes into trying to stop this guy. And obviously, that's no question why he's an NFL immortal. But this is a quote from Joe Gibbs. We had to try in some way to have a special game plan just for Lawrence Taylor. Now you didn't do that very often in this league, but I think he's one person that we learned less in the hard way. We lost ball games. His skills changed the way offensive coaches blocked linebackers in the late 70s and early 80s. A blitzing linebacker was picked up by a running back. However, these players were no match for Taylor. The tactic employed by San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh and the 82 playoffs using an offensive guard to block Taylor was copied around the league. However, this left a hole in the past protection that a blitzing middle linebacker could easily exploit. Later, Walsh and other coaches began using offensive tackles to block Taylor. Later, it became common for offensive linemen to pick up blitzing linebackers. In addition to the changes in offensive scheme that Taylor influenced, he also introduced new defensive techniques to the game, such as chopping the ball out of a quarterback's hands to potentially force a more valuable turnover, rather than simply tackling him for a loss. This exemplified a team first strategy and dampened Taylor's sack total while increasing the prospects of giant success. Obviously, we have to get into some of the other stuff here. Drug and lifestyle problems. This is a quote from Lawrence Taylor in 1987. "For me, crazy as it seems, there is a real relationship between wild, reckless abandon off the field, and being that way on the field." Taylor began using illicit drugs during his professional and during his rookie season, 1981 and 1982. He would pass the NFL drug test, however, by routinely obtaining his teammate's urine to submit, you know, as his own urine samples. As his drug habit escalated, he would spend up to thousands of dollars a day on cocaine women. His first wife, Linda, once had to pick him up from a crack house and he once attended a team meeting, still handcuffed from the night before by some quote-unquote "ladies" that were trying out some new equipment, but just didn't happen to have the key. In 1987, he finally tested positive for cocaine and admitted to using it. The next year, 1988, he felt a second drug test, whereupon the NFL suspended him for 30 days. With that, he abstained from drugs until his 1993 retirement as a third failed drug test would end his career. Yet, he would later recall that in retiring, I saw blow as the only bright spot in my future. During 1995, he went through drug rehab twice, but over the next three years, he was arrested twice, via undercover police officers for attempts to buy cocaine. Meanwhile, he associated mainly with drug users and his home usually had white sheets over its windows. Quote-unquote, "I'd gotten really bad. I mean, my place was almost like a crack house." But after his career ended, he worked in several television jobs. You know, he was on WrestleMania 11. He defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. There was a lot of things that he did, obviously, any given Sunday. He was in video games as well, such as Vice City. Grand Theft Auto obviously blitzed the league. His Hall of Fame induction in 1999, when he became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there were some concerns that his hard-partying lifestyle and drug abuse were heard as candidacy. These concerns proved to be ill-founded, ill-founded, I should say. However, as he was voted on his very first ballot, his son Lawrence Taylor Jr. gave him his induction. And Taylor's ex-wife, history children, his parents were in attendance during his induction speech. So Taylor acknowledged them by saying, "Thank you for putting up with me for all those years." He also greeted former Giants owner Wellington Mara for being supportive of him, saying, "He probably cared about me as a person more than he should have." So there's a lot of, you know, ups and downs to an NFL player's career like we've learned during this series. But Lawrence Taylor is one that, you know, those ups, man, they don't get much higher than, you know, what Lawrence Taylor was able to bring to the table. So thank you guys so much. Hopefully this was helpful. Hopefully this was insightful. Obviously it's been a long time since I've done one of these episodes. So let me know what you think. Let me know if there's a player you request me to do because there's definitely a lot of players I have in mind, literally over 100. Like there's going to be, obviously we say we want to keep it, you know, Hall of Famers, but that's not going to happen. Like literally next week, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do a Hall of Famers. That's just kind of what it boils down to. But thank you guys so much for tuning in here. I can't wait to get the feedback. Can't wait to hear what you guys think. Check out the College Football function. Check out all the other things we got going on. I think me and Terry are going to be recording the 1993 Dallas Cowboys tomorrow. And yeah, we're about to be off and running again. I believe that we're going to have some new contributions as well going into the season. I can't confirm or spill the beans on what that might be. But just know that there's some good things coming down the pike, possibly a new show here on the Football function podcast. So thank you guys so much for tuning in. Let me know what you guys think. Have a damn good rest of your weekend. Walk passionately in the direction of your dreams. And I'll talk to you soon. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. 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