Andre Tippett played outside linebacker in the NFL for 11 seasons, all of them with New England. He holds that franchise’s career record for sacks with 100 and shares the mark for fumble recoveries with 17. He was selected to five straight Pro Bowls.
In 1984, Tippett was a one-man wrecking crew. He registered 118 tackles – a phenomenal total for an edge defender – and led the AFC in sacks with 18.5. He continued to be an irresistible force the following season, when he recorded 97 tackles (65 solos), forced three fumbles and recovered three as well. His 16.5 sacks were again tops in the AFC, and he powered the Patriots to an unprecedented three playoff victories on the road.
Tippett helped revolutionize the outside linebacker position, bringing a tenacity and athleticism that struck fear in the hearts of opponents. To try to contain his extraordinary pass-rushing abilities, offenses were forced to adjust their blocking schemes. The tight end was frequently kept in to double-team him, and backs were then asked to pick him up. Still, Tippett relentlessly chased down quarterbacks like California law enforcement officials pursuing a suspicious white Ford Bronco.
Making direct comparisons between Tippett and existing Hall of Famers is difficult because of a lack of representation among the new breed at the position. Only one outside linebacker who played in the last twenty years has made the Hall, and he was arguably the best the game has ever seen: Lawrence Taylor.
Likening Tippett to Taylor is similar to comparing every backcourt star to Michael Jordan or every great goal scorer to Wayne Gretzky. If those men represent the standard by which all players are judged, then the Halls of Fame would be rather empty.
Yet Tippett was the AFC’s answer to LT for over a decade. Tippett averaged 10 sacks a season for the 10 years he played between 1983 and 1993 (Tippett played sparingly in his rookie year of 1982). Unfortunately, a ruptured muscle in his shoulder cost him an entire year in his prime. He spent all of 1989 on injured reserve, and his string of consecutive Pro Bowl appearances ended at five.
For the sake of comparison, here’s a look at how Tippett stacks up against Taylor:
Games Tackles Sacks INTs Fumb. Recs TDs
Lawrence Taylor 184 1,088 132.5 9 11 2
Andre Tippett 151 778 100 1 17 2
Taylor’s sack total would be even more impressive if it included the 9.5 that he had in 1981, when sacks were not yet an official statistic. LT was clearly in his own class, but Tippett was the second-best outside linebacker of his day. There is a sizable discrepancy in some numbers, certainly in INTs, but not in all of them:
Taylor averaged 5.91 tackles per game. Tippett averaged 5.15.
Taylor averaged 0.77 sacks per game (including his “unofficial” 9.5 in 1981). Tippett averaged 0.66 sacks per game.
Taylor produced 20 turnovers. Tippett produced 18.
Each player scored 2 defensive touchdowns.
When Tippett retired after the 1993 season, he ranked seventh in career sacks, trailing only Taylor among those who exclusively played linebacker.
It could actually be argued that Tippett had a better single season than Taylor ever did. LT’s best year was 1986, when he was named the NFL’s MVP on the strength of 20.5 sacks and 105 tackles. In Tippett’s spectacular 1984 campaign, he had two fewer sacks but registered 13 more total tackles. Of course, Taylor played under the bright lights of New York City, on a 1986 team that went on to win the Super Bowl. Tippett played in the relative obscurity of New England, on a team that went 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
