One of Bill Belichick’s rituals leading up to a game is to praise the opponent. He does it week in and week out as part of his routine of giving reporters nothing to write about. This week, however, he took it a step further. When answering questions about Cowboys sack machine DeMarcus Ware, Belichick compared him to one of the best defensive players the game has ever seen. Not only that, the person he compared Ware to happens to be someone he coached.
“I mean, he’s the best player we’ve faced this year,” Belichick said according to the Dallas Morning News. “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.”
In reality Belichick is saying all this stuff to make sure his team doesn’t underestimate the play-making ability Ware brings, but that is still a heck of a compliment coming from someone who coached L.T. from 1985-1990. Ware said he was flattered because Taylor is someone he has “idolized.” If Dallas wants to have a chance at beating the Patriots on the road, Ware will need to channel his inner L.T. more than he ever has.
