Since joining Chicago Bears in September, outside linebacker Khalil Mack has been playing outstanding football. In five games he played this season, the 27-year-old has 5.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception returned for a touchdown. While this caused people to compare Mack with some of the football’s greats like Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick disagrees.
“Wait a minute, we’re talking about Lawrence Taylor now,” – said Belichick when asked by reporters whether Mack could measure up with Taylor. “I’m not putting anybody in Lawrence Taylor’s class. Put everybody down below that. With a lot of respect to a lot of good players, we’re talking about Lawrence Taylor.“
Belichick will have a chance to witness the talents of Khalil Mack first hand on Sunday when his Patriots face the Bears. While New England’s coach doesn’t think that Mack deserves to be compared to Lawrence Taylor, that doesn’t mean he isn’t impressed by Mack.
“He’s big, strong and fast,” – added the 66-year-old. “He’s got a lot of power. He does a good job of power-rushing, and he’s fast enough to get the edge. He has good ball awareness so he does a good job of tackling the quarterback when he has to tackle him, but if he has a chance to get the ball out he’s got good ball awareness and can strip it out.“
While Khalil Mack is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, he has a long way to go until he gets even close to Lawrence Taylor’s achievements. Taylor, who is often mentioned in conversation as one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the sport, spent 13 years in the league and won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. He was also named NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 while being selected to Pro Bowl 10 times and getting First-team All-Pro honors eight times.
