D. Ware vs. "The Great" Lawrence Taylor

[Hot_Toddy]

Keep in mind that I am taking absolutely nothing away from L.T. - He was a great one. But it seems we have a GREAT one as well.

Sack Total after first 4 years in the league:

Ware: 48.5
L.T.: 41.0

(and this season isn't even over yet for Ware - so I'm expecting that to increase, which affects the other stats too)

Average sacks per season:

Ware: 12.13
L.T.: 10.19

If you average that out over LT's 13 years in the league..Then you would have Ware overtaking his sack total:

Ware: 157
L.T.: 132.5

Oh, and L.T had 2 defensive TDs in his career - Ware already has that many.

LT does hold the edge in turnovers RECOVERED. He has 20 INT and Fumble recoveries combined in his career. Ware is on Pace for 10 during the same span.

However, Ware does have 14 FORCED Fumbles which is exceptional...I can't find LT's statistics in that category.

Ware just seems to be getting better every year....History in the Making!

He's fun to watch and I'm enjoying every minute of it (except when I almost had a heart-attack when he was laying on the turf.) Just hoping that his knee will be of the minor variety.

:starspin

 

[DeepBleu]

so if you can have either lawrence taylor or demarcus ware at the beginning of their respective career, you would take ware?

 

[Everlastingxxx]

And I think ”character” would greatly tip the scale towards Ware.

 

[AKATheRake]

Ware is awesome and I can't be nothing but pleased with what we have in him. Remember, he has to stay healthy and consistent for another 6-8 years at his position. That isn't easy. Ware also relies heavily on his speed, although he has phenominal strength for his size. When you get older those wheels slowdown.

Ware is a hall of famer in the making and will achieve Lawrence Taylor status eventually in my opinion. 1 key thing you mentioned was LT's ability to create turnovers. LT would just take over a game and was absolutely unstoppable like Ware was doing in Seattle last night. If you watch LT though the guy was a mauler with dynamic speed.

He would blow lineman backwards with his power and literally 1 arm RB's backwards to the floor. He was one mean devastating player. Vicious and that's what made LT the greatest at the position of all time. The stats are great but LT was the player who redefined the position. It's also important to remember that the early years of his career Ray Perkins forced him to play a certain way and Parcells is what let him loose. the same Parcells of course who drafted Ware and had him going from day 1. 1 of the reason's Ware had a faster
start to these types of stats. LT is the model that D. Ware gets to play up to and will most likely surpass statistically when his career is done. Here's some Lawrence Taylor material. Other than bringing up Reggie White, there's probably no argument that LT is the greatest defensive player of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_auV_Nydvb0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuVJv4uiNOA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idhScNpaTnk&feature=related

 

[Established1971]

Keep in mind that I am taking absolutely nothing away from L.T. - He was a great one. But it seems we have a GREAT one as well.

yeah and our guy isnt playing all coked up

 

[Maikeru-sama]

so if you can have either lawrence taylor or demarcus ware at the beginning of their respective career, you would take ware?

Too early to tell.

10 years from now, people may look back and say both are of the same caliber.

But right now, there is no way I would take Demarcus Ware over Lawrence Taylor.

 

[Rampage]

thanks to D-Ware and co we now lead the NFL in sacks with 40

 

[DeepBleu]

thanks to D-Ware and co we now lead the NFL in sacks with 40

with 26 teams playing 1 game less than us.

 

[Rampage]

with 26 teams playing 1 game less than us.

yessir! and philly is 2nd with 39(who also played last night) and Pitt is 3rd with 37. starting to play ball like we know they're capable of.

 

[AKATheRake]

Keep in mind that I am taking absolutely nothing away from L.T. - He was a great one. But it seems we have a GREAT one as well.

yeah and our guy isnt playing all coked up

The coke don't make you a better player but the steroids LT was on would definitely help. I know nobody is taking anything away from LT. Demarcus will have better numbers as long as he stays healthy. Health and longevity are huge factors in this league.

 

[jackrussell]

This should tip the scale.

Ware- 1 Golden Gobbler
LT- None.

 

[AKATheRake]

This should tip the scale.

Ware- 1 Golden Gobbler
LT- None.

LOL! LT's first year I don't think the league was tracking sack stats yet until 82 which was LT's 2nd season. What would really tip the scale is tackles and unfortunately that stat wasn't tracked during his career and I'm pretty sure he'd have Ware's lunch there. Don't get me wrong, Michael Strahan isn't the only person who believes Demarcus Ware is the best defensive player in the league, I'm one of them. Can you believe Detroit the other year wanted Demarcus Ware and our first rounder for Roy E. Williams? What a joke.

Here's LT's NFL awards accomplished. There isn't any Gobblers but I think we've heard of a few of them. Can you believe LT was the AP defensive player of the year his first season and then followed it up winning it again his 2nd? His 3rd it was UPI but that's 3 in a row his first 3 seasons. That's just not dominating, that's unreal! Now stats are a good indicator of success but 1 thing stats can't measure is impact on a game. Although Demarcus Ware definitely impacts a game while on the field, no one impacted a game like LT did while on the field. Not Jerry Rice, not Jim Brown or Reggie White. Believe me, when you look at those things and the accomplishments below while playing, the scales are favourably tipped in LT's way. LT at times is considered the best to ever play the game. Argumentively yes, but there are alot of backers.

1986
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
- AP NFL MVP
- Bert Bell MVP Trophy (Maxwell Club)
- PFWA MVP
- UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year
1983
- UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year
1982
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
1981
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

These awards don't even mention his probowls, 2 Superbowl rings and being in the Hall of Fame.

 

[the kid 05]

The coke don't make you a better player but the steroids LT was on would definitely help. I know nobody is taking anything away from LT. Demarcus will have better numbers as long as he stays healthy. Health and longevity are huge factors in this league.

No the coke helped him be more twitchy and notice stuff like the OT's movements.

 

[rexrobinson]

I know this wont be a very popular remark with the old schoolers but L.T. also played against lineman that were relatively small compared to what D. Ware faces. In 1985 only a handful of lineman were over 300 pounds.

 

[Sarge]

Lawrence Taylor was a one man wrecking crew that changed the way the game was played. He is one of the top 5 greatest football players that ever played the game.

It's an honor for D. Ware to be compared to him. I hated that *******, but he was a force.

 

[Juke99]

Lawrence Taylor was a one man wrecking crew that changed the way the game was played. He is one of the top 5 greatest football players that ever played the game.

It's an honor for D. Ware to be compared to him. I hated that *******, but he was a force.

On the nosey.

Morning bugle boy.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I love DWare.

He is a real treat to watch.
He has singelhandedly decided games in final minutes.


Now, if he wouldnt "whiff" on some sacks he would be great - half joke/half serious


Lawrence was an animal out there... I dont know if we can say the same about DWare. Different times, different players. QB's stood back there and Taylor just collapsed onto them. Ware has to chase these "slippery little suckers" lol

 

[Sarge]

On the nosey.

Morning bugle boy.

Good morning Sally.....

 

[AKATheRake]

I know this wont be a very popular remark with the old schoolers but L.T. also played against lineman that were relatively small compared to what D. Ware faces. In 1985 only a handful of lineman were over 300 pounds.

These are facts that absolutely have to be considered and have crossed my mind. LT also played at 237 which was large back then ad the lineman were around the 280 mark. Demarcus Ware plays at 262 lbs himself. The size ratio of LB vs O-lineman in Ware and LT's case are even. I know there are some guys who are close to 400 pounds nowadays but Refrigerator Perry played at 382 and that was LT's time.

There is about a 20 lb size difference on average between the players of today and the 80's. LT is one of the "Old School" players this 29 year old knows a decent bit about. Reggie White was a 300 lb DE in a 4-3 defense who was one of the most dominating players between 1985-2000, that's 8 years ago. LT's career was done in 1993 because of injury, they played a good portion in the same era. One guy keeps bringing up cocaine but that only hurt LT. He was drugged up and wouldn't come to practice at times, it also destroyed his focus and deteriorated his body.

LT played in a time where players would get bounty bonuses for knocking other players on opposing team out of games as long as it was a clean hit. This was perfectly legal and all the players in the league were subject to it. Half of the rules to protect players physically during the game that apply to today's game, did not apply at all back in LT's day. The game of football was much more brutal back then and although the average player back then gives up 10-20 lb's to todays players the equipment they had back then is inferior to what the players have now and therefore the physical abuse back then was much more debilitating. Folks, the genetics thing is very minimal in LT's era compared to today. Football was much more physcial then than now. The average length of a players career in LT's era is a 3rd less than today's player.

When comparing players from 30 - 50 years ago to todays players it was definitely a much different envrionment, game and therefore many more substantial arguments. But LT's time was the evolution of todays type of game and player, both genetically and systematically. The brutality of the game was far greater even 5 years ago than today though.

LT is not the type of player we'll ever get to see again, that could be a systematic thing but more so because of the level of play LT brought. In LT's time, and it was LT's time, there wasn't a man on the field that had the guts to dook it out with him 1 on 1. Not even Left Tackles. He intimidated everyone that much.

 

[THUMPER]

Taylor also played alongside some other great LBs in Harry Carson, Gary Reasons, Brad Van Pelt, Carl Banks, & Pepper Johnson. He also had some excellent DLs in front of him in George Martin, Jim Burt, and Leonard Marshall.

I would say that the overall talent on the defenses that Taylor played on were better those that Ware has had around him. It's getting better but not there yet. We won't even get into the coaching differences.

Someone else brought up the fact that the OLs of the late 80s-early 90s were considerably smaller than those Ware faces today.

Not taking anything away from LT, because he was a force that had to be accounted for on every play, but Ware is not far from that same kind of attention.