Patriots

Parsons is a similar caliber of athlete to Taylor, Belichick said. Belichick considers Taylor to be the best defensive player of all time.

Bill Belichick has often said that he coached the greatest player in NFL history on offense, defense, and special teams.

Those three players are Tom Brady, Lawrence Taylor, and Matthew Slater, Belichick said.

It’s not often that Belichick compares players to Taylor. But, ahead of New England’s matchup with Dallas, Belichick said Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons has similar athletic ability to the Giants legend.

“Like every great player, he’s pretty good at everything,” Belichick said during an appearance on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show. “He’s got a lot of power. He’s very fast. He’s long. He’s very athletic so he’s a hard guy to cut (block). He’s a hard guy to knock off the ball. And he plays all over.

“So finding him, that’s No. 1,” Belichick continued. “He could be inside. He could be outside. He could be on either edge. He’s a big, physical player that’s very athletic and quick. Along the lines of a Taylor. That kind of athlete.”

Parsons, who was a first-team All-Pro selection in his first two seasons, already has four sacks in three games this year. That ties him with Matthew Judon for fourth in the league.

The Cowboys have forced an NFL-best six turnovers, and are second in the league in sacks with 12. Only the Browns have allowed fewer passing yards per game [130.7] than the Cowboys.

“The Cowboys’ biggest strength is everything,” Belichick said. “Really good on defense. Parsons is probably the best defensive player in the league or one of the top ones. I can’t imagine anyone being more of a problem than he is.”