4. Jessie Armstead has one of the best Lawrence Taylor stories ever
Lawrence Taylor is one of the most dominant and feared players ever to take an NFL field. His devastating hit on Washington Redskins’ quarterback Joe Theisman is one of the main reasons clubs shell out big bucks these days for linemen to protect their franchise arms.
So the idea that someone told L.T. to “shut up” is more than surprising to say the least.
A young Jessie Armstead made that grave error as a rookie all the way back in 1993. Fresh out of college, an excited Armstead rushed to huddle after being entrusted to call the defensive play. Apparently, Taylor was talking when he entered the huddle and without thinking Armstead told Taylor to shut up before calling the play to the rest of defense.
Predictably, Taylor did not take to kindly to being told to shut up by a rookie. With the opposing team approaching the line of scrimmage, the future Hall of Famer kept the defense in the huddle to chew out Armstead, telling him he could not speak in the huddle anymore.
After not being able to speak and do his job calling the plays, Armstead returned to the sidelines after the team’s defensive series to be chewed out again, this time by New York’s the defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.
When Armstead explained that L.T. had forbidden him from speaking in the huddle and Nolan should talk to Taylor, Nolan refused and informed him that he would have to speak with the team’s star himself about the issue.
Taylor and Armstead smoothed things out on the sidelines during that game, but Armstead learned a valuable “welcome to the NFL rookie” lesson through L.T.
