When Lawrence Taylor, the legendary Hall of Fame linebacker, appeared on a recent episode of Tom Brady’s podcast, he generated quite a stir among football enthusiasts and analysts.
Taylor, known for his ferocious hits and physical intimidation throughout his career, expressed his concerns about whether his playing style would be tolerated in the modern National Football League (NFL).
"I don’t think I could finish a game nowadays," Taylor said on the latest episode of Tom Brady’s Let’s Go! podcast on SiriusXM.
Appearing on Tom Brady's podcast, Lawrence Taylor says he'd never make it in today's NFL, given the rules. https://t.co/UYLX2JcDBH
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 5, 2023
Lawrence Taylor is recognized for redefining the linebacker position. He is one of just two defensive players, along with Alan Page, to have won the NFL MVP Award.
During the podcast, Tom Brady echoed Taylor"s sentiments, extrapolating the conversation to a broader critique of contemporary NFL rules.
Brady referred specifically to a recent incident involving a controversial sideline hit on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"The quarterbacks need to learn how to throw the ball away," Brady said. "They need to learn how to read defenses so that they can get the ball out of their hands. I always felt like my best protection was getting rid of the ball. Even in my day, it would’ve been hard for you to sack me just because I knew how great you were and how fast I needed to throw the ball that day."
"The game has changed a little bit, you know?" Taylor said. "Just a couple weeks ago I saw a running back [D’Andre Swift] get fined for trucking. What the hell is trucking? He got fined for running over the [defensive back]. I don’t understand that. The game has changed a little bit. I like the era that I played in because if I was playing nowadays, I probably wouldn’t last the game."
Co-host Jim Gray asked a pertinent question during the podcast debate – would an NFL legend like Lawrence Taylor have conformed or could he have been thrown out of league, given today’s rules?
"Have you ever known me to conform to anything?" Taylor said. "I would get thrown out. It’d been hard for me to play. I may have ended the season owing them money."
