Sometimes, it happens quickly. It happened quickly for Lawrence Taylor. On the second play of the second defensive series of his NFL career, on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 6, 1981, Ron Jaworski of the Eagles (then, as now, the defending NFC champs) dropped back to throw.
Instantly, he saw a most disagreeable sight before him: No. 56 in blue, charging at him, all alone, with malice in his heart. Jaworski did the only sensible thing he could: He threw the ball away.
Taylor crushed him anyway.
“That’s a late hit! Where’s the flag? Where’s the flag?