New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has compared Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, who he coached for a decade with the New York Giants.
“Similar to what we saw with teams dealing with Taylor in New York. He’s got that kind of disruptiveness,” Belichick said, via Pro Football Talk. “The position he plays, he’s as disruptive a defensive lineman as I’ve seen in the league. In the same general category as L.T.”
The Patriots face Watt and the Texans on Sunday night.
If anyone could make the comparison between two of the greatest defensive players of the last 30 years, it’s Belichick. He was the Giants’ linebackers coach from 1980-84, and the team’s defensive coordinator from 1985-1990. He saw Taylor up close and personal for 10 years.
The second overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft, Taylor produced 10 Pro Bowl seasons, three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and one NFL MVP (1986). He is one of only two defensive players to ever win MVP, although Watt nearly joined him last year.
Taylor finished his Hall of Fame career with 132.5 sacks.
Watt, 26, already has 70.5 sacks through five seasons. He was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2014, while he finished second to Aaron Rodgers in the MVP voting in 2014.
Belichick called him “pretty special,” while celebrating his ability to produce despite being the focal point of the opposing offense every single week. Now, it’ll be up to him and his staff to make sure he doesn’t wreck Sunday night’s contest, much like Taylor used to do so often for Belichick’s defense in New York.