New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not buying into the Micah Parsons-Lawrence Taylor comparisons just yet, and he made that very clear during his weekly appearance on WEEI.
There is little doubt that Parsons is playing at a high level, especially so far this season. He has four sacks and 12 tackles in three games, and he is coming off a 2022 season that saw him record 13.5 sacks. He has recorded at least 13 sacks in his first two full seasons in the league.
Belichick coached Taylor in the 1980s and got to see the pass-rusher’s dominance up close. Taylor finished his career with 132.5 sacks. He is an NFL Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest defensive player of all time.
Although Parsons is good, Belichick is not ready to put him in the same category as Taylor just yet, as noted in a report from NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.
“I think comparing players like that is not really — I would just say, I wouldn’t put anybody ahead of Lawrence Taylor,” said Belichick. “Period. Now, maybe I’m prejudiced, but I saw that guy every day for over a decade, and he tilted the field for a decade.
“So, until somebody does that — and there’s a lot of great players; I’m not taking anything away from anybody else. There’s a lot of great players that have been in this league, that are in this league. But personally, I’m not putting anybody ahead of Lawrence Taylor. Not yet.”
There is no doubt that Parsons is having a strong career. He is already one of the best defenders in the league. His career trajectory is looking really strong at the moment. There could come a time when he ends up in the same breath as Taylor.
However, Belichick is staying away from those comparisons, for now.
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