National Football League

Lawrence Taylor: 'I'm gonna see what Micah's got on Monday night'

Published Sep. 22, 2022 6:57 p.m. ET

Cowboys superstar linebacker Micah Parsons has often been compared to former legendary Giants pass-rusher Lawrence Taylor.

The two share a similar combination of strength, speed and rare cleverness at the LB position that separated them from their peers. And Monday night, Parsons will play in front of the man many people believe he most mirrors in play-style, when the Cowboys visit New Jersey to take on the Giants.

Taylor is aware of the Parsons comparisons, and while he acknowledged that he'll be looking out for No. 11 during the affair, he emphasized that there's no good reason to compare anyone to him.

"I don’t know who the best defensive player is, but all I know is I’m always on the last page, of the last paragraph, of the last sentence when they say ‘the greatest of all time,'" Taylor told the New York Post in a recent interview. "Until somebody tells me different, I own it."

"I’m quite sure I’m gonna see what he’s got on Monday night 'cause I will be there," L.T. went on. "I haven’t analyzed it. But I will on Monday."

"Undisputed" cohost Shannon Sharpe said Thursday that he views Taylor's presence at the game as extra motivation for Parsons to ball out.

"This is a positive," Sharpe said. "This is Lawrence Taylor: the greatest defensive player. … And he's coming to watch me? The position I play, he made it famous. All these other pass-rushers at the linebacker position … 56 is the guy.

"Daniel Jones, you're in trouble. Man, ain't no tellin' what Micah Parsons is going to do to you. It's almost like your parents coming to see you for the first time. You've got to show out! … First time my momma came to see me play in high school, I showed out: five caches, 135 yards, three TDs. … L.T.'s gonna be on the sideline! Oh, I've got to do something bad."

Skip Bayless expressed an equal excitement.

"Everything you just emoted were all my emotions last night when I read this quote," he said. "The only difference that I can see so far … that guy [Taylor] was a bad mofo, and I'm not sure Micah has that burning inside of him."

Bayless added that he was a fan of the L.T. comparisons, even noting that Parsons has one attribute Taylor didn't.

"[Parsons] might even be more super-freakish than 56 was," he opined. "That's what he has going for him. … Now [Taylor's] put 11 from Heaven on notice like, ‘Hey kid, it really doesn’t count until I'm standing on the sidelines.' … We're talking about up-close and personal. He's gonna lay eyes on you from right there on the sideline: ‘What you got kid?’ … I'm sure he will be asked for comment after, and he will pass judgment, and we'll see what he sees that [Micah's] got."

Former fellow Penn State footballer Saquon Barkley has Parsons circled as an X-factor in the matchup.

"I know Micah pretty well, we got a good friendship," Barkley said. " … Obviously someone that we gotta focus on this week.

"We know how talented he is — one of the best players, if not the best player in the league right now. Super freak … He’s crazy athletic. There’s nothing he can’t do at that position — he can cover, he can rush, he can play inside a box, can play outside a box. He’s a special talent, and he’s rare. Can’t let him wreck the game."