Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches of all time, but earlier in his career not every player was jumping up and down at the opportunity to be coached by him. Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor revealed that reaction was completely negative when he found out New York Giants coach Bill Parcells had named Bill Belichick defensive coordinator.
Taylor said he approached Parcells questioning the decision, wondering how Belichick moved so far up the ranks that fast.
Taylor said (via "The Boardroom: Out of Office"):
"I cursed Parcells out when he hired Belichick as the defensive coordinator. I come into the league, and I meet Bill Belichick. He's an assistant special teams coach... now what the hell, that's like a towel boy. What the hell is that? Assistant special teams coach."
Taylor continued, saying, "And then the next year he's special teams coach, and then, the third year, Parcells becomes the head coach and he makes ... Belichick the defensive coordinator. And I went apesh--. I went up to him and I said, 'Ain't no way! Ain't no way!'"
In his autobiography, Taylor also opened up about his initial relationship with Belichick, mentioning that he asked Parcells if he was "f--ing crazy" when he gave Belichick the defensive coordinator job and called Belichick a "total pain in the ass."
Respect was eventually earned, however, in part because Taylor didn't have the whole story when Belichick was hired. Parcells let Taylor know that the team's defense was designed mostly by Belichick, much to L.T.'s surprise.
"I said, 'what?!' I mean, even Cover 2 ... all those belong to him?" Taylor said. "And he got a little respect from me that day, and I tell you what, he has turned out to be one of the best coaches in history."
Belichick has also reflected on his time with Taylor, giving the linebacker high praise during the NFL 100 All-Time Team show.
"Well, I think I had the honor of coaching the greatest defensive football player in the history of the game, and he helped make me a great coach, I'll tell you," Belichick said.
Belichick has coached countless champions and Hall of Famers, but was confident in saying L.T. was the best defensively.