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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been impressed by the Chicago Bears over linebacker Khalil Mack this season, but his applause for Mack has limitations.
When asked Wednesday whether Mack was with Pro Football Hall of Famer member Lawrence Taylor, Belichick seemed almost offended by the question.
"Wait a minute, we are talking about Lawrence Taylor now," said Belichick, whose Patriots are facing Sunday at the Bears in Chicago. "I'm not putting anyone in Lawrence Taylor's class, put everyone under that, and with a lot of respect for a lot of good players, we're talking about Lawrence Taylor."
Belichick's affinity for Taylor, which he led during his tenure as Defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in the 1980s, is well documented. Taylor played 13 seasons and totaled 132.5 bags, earning him nine All-Pro awards. He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
That's not to say that Belichck does not think Mack is a leading player, as he is one of the Patriots' main concerns before Sunday's game.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Mack was "day-to-day" Wednesday due to a right ankle injury suffered in the 31-28 overtime loss to the Dolphins from Chicago. Mack had an ankle injury early in the game but still managed to be on the field for 62 of 78 of Chicago's defense attempts.
"It's day-to-day right now," said Nagy. "We will have to see as we go, even in the next two hours, where we are at practice, we are not 100% sure if it will happen, we will just continue to keep an eye on you. and be sure that whatever we do, we are more cautious than anything else.I believe in this and I think that it is important to go in that direction. "
Mack has five sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception return against a touchdown for the 3-2 Bears.
"He is tall, strong and fast," said Belichick. "He has a lot of power, he's doing a good job and he's fast enough to take the advantage, he has a good knowledge of the ball, so he's doing a good job against the quarterback when he has to attack him, but if he has a chance to take out the ball, he has a good knowledge of the ball and can remove it. "
Jeff Dickerson's ESPN information was used in this report.
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