Tag: Lawrence Taylor

Giants great Emlen Tunnell a finalist for NFL 100 All-Time Team

New York Giants legend Emlen Tunnell has been named a finalist for the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

New York Giants’ Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Emlen Tunnell has been named a finalist for the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

Tunnell, the first African-American player to don Giants blue, played for the team from 1948-1958 before joining Vince Lombardi’s in 1959 for three seasons. Tunnell was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a six-time All-Pro. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1950s and is a member of the Giants’ Ring of Honor.

From the Giants:

Tunnell is one of 14 finalists vying for six spots at the safety position. The others are Jack Christiansen, Brian Dawkins, Kenny Easley, Ken Houston, Paul Krause, Yale Lary, Ronnie Lott, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Johnny Robinson, Donnie Shell, Larry Wilson and Willie Wood. The members of the team will be announced Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network, followed by a live reaction show.

Tunnell played 11 seasons for the Giants and holds franchise records with 74 interceptions and 257 punt returns. In 1952, Tunnell gained more yards on interceptions and kickoff returns (924) than the NFL rushing leader did running the ball. After finishing his career with the Packers, Tunnell had a record 79 interceptions.

Tunnell, if elected, would join linebacker Lawrence Taylor on the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Taylor was selected last week as one of the outside linebackers.

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Lawrence Taylor voted as a unanimous choice to NFL 100 Team

New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor was a unanimous selection for the NFL’s All-Time Team.

To no one’s surprise, New York Giants Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was named to the NFL’s All-Time Team to commemorate the league’s 100th season.

Taylor was a unanimous choice of the 26-person panel to the defensive front selections to the 100 greatest players in league history which were revealed on the NFL Network on Friday night. The panel will reveal a section of the roster each Friday night until Week 17.

Here are the selections for the defensive front. I would hate to be quarterback or ball carrier going up against this bunch:

DEFENSIVE END (7): Doug Atkins, Bill Hewitt, Deacon Jones*, Gino Marchetti*, Lee Roy Selmon, Bruce Smith, Reggie White.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (7): Buck Buchanan, Joe Greene, Bob Lilly*, Merlin Olsen, Alan Page*, John Randle, Randy White.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (6): Chuck Bednarik, Bobby Bell, Derrick Brooks, Jack Ham, Ted Hendricks, Lawrence Taylor*.

MIDDLE LINEBACKER (6): Dick Butkus*, Jack Lambert, Willie Lanier, Ray Lewis, Joe Schmidt, Junior Seau.

*Denotes unanimous selection.

“Lawrence Taylor, defensively, has had as big an impact as any player I’ve ever seen. He changed the way defense is played, the way pass-rushing is played, the way linebackers play and the way offenses block linebackers.” – John Madden

Taylor was two-time Super Bowl champion with the Giants and revolutionized the outside linebacker position upon his arrival in 1981. He was a NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, a 10-time Pro Bowler and a nine-time All-Pro. LT was named the 1986 NFL MVP.  He is only one of two defensive players ever to win the award (Alan Page, 1971).

Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. His No. 56 was retired by the Giants and was inducted into their Ring of Honor with the initial class in 2010.

Like any genius, Taylor did not know the extent of his genius.

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5 Giants named finalists for NFL 100 All-Time Team at LB/DL

Five members of the New York Giants have been named finalists for the NFL 100 All-Time Team at linebacker/defensive line.

Believe it or not, the New York Giants once had great defenses with iconic players. Those days are long gone, we know, but the NFL is turning 100 this season and in the process of them choosing their All-Time team, the reminders of great Giant teams and players are all around.

Five former Giants are among the finalists among the league’s top defensive lineman and linebackers: Harry Carson, Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor.

All five are Pro Football Hall of Famers and Giants Ring of Honor inductees. Taylor is the only one of the five to have his number retired by the Giants.

The final team will be announced on Friday night at 8:00 pm on the NFL Network. It will consist of 10 quarterbacks, 12 running backs, 10 wide receivers, five tight ends, seven tackles, seven guards, four centers, seven defensive ends, seven defensive tackles, 12 linebackers (six inside, six outside), seven cornerbacks, six safeties, two kickers, two punters and kick two returners.

Huff and Robustelli were members of the Giants’ 1956 NFL Championship team and two of the cornerstones of the Giants’ defense under the tutelage of Tom Landry in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Carson and Taylor headed the “Crunch Bunch” linebacking crew of the 1980s that included Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelley, who were later replaced by Carl Banks and Gary Reasons.

Taylor is considered one of the top players — at any position — in NFL history. Carson was the Giants’ captain for the team’s first-ever Super Bowl-winning team in 1986. Taylor and Banks were staples of excellence in leading Big Blue to two Super Bowl victories.

Strahan has become a media celebrity but he was no laughing matter for offensive tackles. He still holds the NFL single-season mark for sacks and played 15 seasons for the Giants. His final game was Super Bowl XLII, when the Giants knocked off the undefeated New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.

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Giants legend Lawrence Taylor extends his support to Colin Kaepernick

New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, wants Colin Kaepernick to know he’s on his side.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will hold a Pro Day-style workout in front of at least 24 NFL teams on Saturday in Atlanta as he looks to get his career back on track after three years away from the game.

Kaepernick, who opted out of his contract following the 2016 season and has turned down opportunities with multiple teams since, recently settled a lawsuit with the NFL after alleging that he had been blackballed from the league over his decision to kneel during the national anthem due to what he perceived to be injustices across the country.

The decision to kneel sparked a national outcry and forced NFL owners to address the situation, very nearly leading the league to make a broad policy — something that did not happen in the end.

Saturday’s workout will be the first time Kaepernick has the attention of NFL scouts in years, and he’s seeing a wave of support from across the league, including a shout-out from one of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform — New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor.

Taylor, who is no stranger to controversy himself, has not addressed the Kaepernick situation publicly, but clearly stands with the polarizing figure ahead of the biggest day of his career.

The Giants will be among the team’s in attendance to watch Kaepernick’s workout, although it’s unlikely they seriously consider signing him this season or next.

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