Retired New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, appeared on the I Am Athlete podcast earlier this week and caused some controversy.
Taylor was asked to name his top five defenders of all time and left both Ray Lewis and Aaron Donald off the list. That caused a bit of an outcry from the current generation of fans.
But L.T. wasn’t done there. He had another take that is certain to cause some intense debate.
During a discussion about the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Taylor says he doesn’t view Tom Brady as the G.O.A.T. Rather, he says, that distinction belongs to retired San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
Lawrence Taylor:
Joe Montana > Tom Brady
“The greatest quarterback ever, I’m still with Joe Montana. Tom Brady got all the rules on his side. … If you hit him, if you breathe on him, they’re gonna throw a flag!”
Do you agree? 👀
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— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) February 7, 2023
“Joe Montana is still my man. He’s still my man,” Taylor said. “The greatest quarterback ever, I’m still with Joe Montana. I’m not going with Tom Brady.”
Asked to explain himself, Taylor pulled no punches.
“Listen, Tom Brady got all the rules on his side,” Taylor said. “You can’t touch him. . . If you hit him, if you breathe on him, they’re gonna throw a flag.”
The game certainly has changed and Taylor has never shied away from his disdain for that. He feels the NFL has gotten a bit soft, especially when it comes to protecting offensive players and quarterbacks. And Brady most certainly benefited from that throughout his career.
Montana, on the other hand, played in an era where defenders were at their most violent. There was no comfort in the pocket and he found success despite that. And as a chief rival of the Giants, it’s no surprise that Taylor views him as the greatest of all time.
