GOAT Index

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Lawrence Taylor: the case for the GOAT

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    Lawrence Taylor: the case for the GOAT

    LB · Giants · Born 4 February 1959, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA · Career 1981–1993

    Outside linebacker who spent his whole career with the New York Giants and changed how offenses had to protect the quarterback.

    Career highlights

    Why Lawrence Taylor could be the GOAT

    Taylor is one of only two defensive players ever named NFL MVP, and he won Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie. Offenses redesigned blocking schemes and invented roles for left tackles just to slow him down. No defender has had a bigger influence on how the game itself is played.

    What fans say

    Lawrence Taylor is #17 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 1–2 head-to-head record from 74 NFL votes. See the full NFL GOAT ranking

    Lawrence Taylor head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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