Former Giants linebacker Carl Banks has heard some people compare his former teammate, Lawrence Taylor, to Jadeveon Clowney. And Banks isn’t impressed by that comparison.
Banks told ESPN that anyone who has been criticized for lacking a great work ethic (like Clowney) should not be compared to Taylor who, for all his off-field faults, went 100 percent on the field.
“L.T. was the guy that would always set the tempo for practice, whether he hated every drill,” Banks said. “He would complain after the fact, but he would give 100 percent. . . . He never took a play off, never wanted to take a play off and resented players who took plays off. He’d talk about you if you wouldn’t finish.”
Banks thinks that even if you really believe Clowney will be a great one, there’s never going to be another L.T.
“No. 1, you’re stepping over a lot of great defensive ends,” Banks said. “They should hope he’s as good as a Richard Dent, Neil Smith, Bruce Smith or Charles Haley. If he can get to that level, he’s a dominant player. But you want to jump over those players and say he’s the next Lawrence Taylor? It’s ridiculous.”
It’s ridiculous to compare anyone who hasn’t played a down in the NFL to Lawrence Taylor. But it’s not ridiculous to say that Clowney has the talent to be a great one.