Taylor's Top-4

While at a Houston-area appearance, Lawrence Taylor was "coerced" into talking about the football talents of J.J. Watt. Big surprise there. They love Watt in Houston. As they should. Taylor placed the Houston Texans defensive lineman among his top-4 defensive players of all time. Taylor had himself among the four as well.

1. Reggie White
2. Deacon Jones
3. Lawrence Taylor
4. J.J. Watt

The only significant problem that I have with Taylor's top-4 is where he's placed himself. I'd put him #1. In only five seasons, J.J. Watt has emerged as one of the most dominant defensive players that I've seen during my time as a football fan. The only other defensive player that I've seen do more consistent damage to an offense in that time was Lawrence Taylor. He destroyed offenses. I've heard some mention that former Houston Oilers linebacker Robert Brazile did the things that Taylor did before Taylor did them. That's true. Brazile did show the pass rushing impact that a 3-4 outside linebacker could make on the game and he did it several years before Taylor arrived on the scene. Taylor simply took it to a whole other level. He changed the game.

Most dominant football players are a focus of an opposing football team. Players like Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt are THE focus. Taylor could wreck a game. He could wreck it with his play. He could wreck it because the offensive players were afraid that he would. Or they were simply afraid of him in general. He often wrecked the play before the ball was even snapped. I've seen a similar sort of impact from Watt. I've seen dominant defensive players like Reggie White, Alan Page, Joe Greene, John Randle, Bruce Smith, to name a few, have stretches in games in which they thoroughly thrashed the intentions of an offense. Taylor and Watt separate themselves from the best because their stretches last the entire game. It's remarkable to see. I wish that I'd seen Deacon Jones in his prime. I only saw him later in his career. He wasn't even a member of the Los Angeles Rams at the time. Even at my young, naive age that didn't feel right.

If I were to rank the four most dominant defensive players of all time the top two are easy.

1. Lawrence Taylor
2. J.J. Watt

The next two aren't so easy.

3. Reggie White
4. Deion Sanders?

It's tough to rank a corner among the most dominant. If he's dominating a game you never see him because the ball never comes his way. Ed Reed? I loved the way that he played the game. Gino Marchetti? He probably made a similar pass rushing impact to that of Deacon Jones. One of the middle linebackers: Joe Schmidt, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke? The defensive tackles: Bob Lilly, Merlin Olsen, Joe Greene, Alan Page? The debate, in my book, after Taylor and Watt is wide open.

By the way, Robert Brazile should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.