The New England Patriots' coach, Bill Belichick, answered the question of a reporter who compared Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears linebacker, to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

"Wait a minute – we're talking about Lawrence Taylor now," Belichick told reporters Wednesday, by ESPN. "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 led Taylor during his years as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator in the 1980s. Taylor, inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1999, has accumulated 132.5 sacks in his 13 career seasons and was named All-Pro in nine of them.

The Patriots play the Bears at 1 pm ET on Sunday. Mack is day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury in the 31-28 loss to Chicago against the Dolphins last week.

Mack, three-time Pro Bowler, started the Bears (3-2) this season with five sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception. While Belichick said Mack is out of Taylor's league, he was still appreciative.

"He is tall, strong and fast," said Belichick. "He's got a lot of power, he's doing a great job and he's fast enough to take advantage of the situation." He has a good knowledge of the ball, so he does a good job against the quarterback when he must attack him, but if he has a chance to take out the ball, he has a good knowledge of the ball and can scratch it. "

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