By Todd ArcherIRVING, Texas -- When the Cowboys drafted DeMarcus Ware in the first round in 2005, then coach Bill Parcells made the comparison to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.
It was a lot to put on Ware, but during a conference call this morning New England coach Bill Belichick, who coached Taylor with the New York Giants, said the comparison is a good one.
“I mean Lawrence Taylor, you’re talking about a pretty high level there,” Belichick said. “Ware does all the things that … I mean, he’s the best player we’ve faced this year. He does all of the things you want him to do. He’s strong against the run. He can rush the passer. He’s great in pursuit. He’s got power. He’s got speed. He’s got good technique. He’s good in pass coverage. He gets a lot of depth. I mean, he’s an asset to your pass coverage, if you want to drop him. I’d say all those same things about Lawrence Taylor. Lawrence had a tremendous career. Ware has had a great --what is it? -- six years or whatever it’s been. He’s been great in that time and looks like he’s still going strong. I’m sure he’ll be able to continue at this level for quite a while longer here as far as what it looks like right now. He’s a guy you’ve got to account for on every snap. You’ve got to know where he is and he could definitely disrupt any play if you don’t handle him.”
Here’s a quick comparison of the two:
In his first 100 games, Ware has 85 sacks, 25 forced fumbles, three touchdowns and one interception.
In Taylor’s first 101 games, he had 84 sacks (including 9.5 as a rookie in 1981 before sacks were an official stat), 16 forced fumbles, eight interceptions and one touchdown.
They are one of seven players to have at least 20 sacks in a season. Ware had 20 in 2008 and Taylor had 20.5 in 1986 when he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
It was a lot to put on Ware, but during a conference call this morning New England coach Bill Belichick, who coached Taylor with the New York Giants, said the comparison is a good one.
“I mean Lawrence Taylor, you’re talking about a pretty high level there,” Belichick said. “Ware does all the things that … I mean, he’s the best player we’ve faced this year. He does all of the things you want him to do. He’s strong against the run. He can rush the passer. He’s great in pursuit. He’s got power. He’s got speed. He’s got good technique. He’s good in pass coverage. He gets a lot of depth. I mean, he’s an asset to your pass coverage, if you want to drop him. I’d say all those same things about Lawrence Taylor. Lawrence had a tremendous career. Ware has had a great --what is it? -- six years or whatever it’s been. He’s been great in that time and looks like he’s still going strong. I’m sure he’ll be able to continue at this level for quite a while longer here as far as what it looks like right now. He’s a guy you’ve got to account for on every snap. You’ve got to know where he is and he could definitely disrupt any play if you don’t handle him.”
Here’s a quick comparison of the two:
In his first 100 games, Ware has 85 sacks, 25 forced fumbles, three touchdowns and one interception.
In Taylor’s first 101 games, he had 84 sacks (including 9.5 as a rookie in 1981 before sacks were an official stat), 16 forced fumbles, eight interceptions and one touchdown.
They are one of seven players to have at least 20 sacks in a season. Ware had 20 in 2008 and Taylor had 20.5 in 1986 when he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
