in the blind side, michael lewis gives the readers an inside look into the lives of many football players. from the outside looking in, we would not consider fear as a factor in PROFESSIONAL football; however lewis clarifies that it is just the opposite of that. lewis states, "and then i saw the replay. it puts fear in your heart and makes you wonder what the heck YOU'RE doing playing football" (lewis loc. 264). you could be wondering what on earth could make someone so scared that THEY'D rethink the sport that truly love to play. that person is LAWRENCE taylor, hall of famer, considered one of the greatest players in football history, known better for injuring more quarterbacks than ever before. lewis states "so long as the guy is holding the ball, i [lawrence] intend to hurt him..." (Loc. 171). parcells ALSO described him as having a "peculiar mind: relentless, manic, with grandiose ambitions and private standards of performance". so what made taylor like this? Why was he the most feared in the nfl? turns out taylor was claustrophobic. "his claustrophobia revealed itself in the way he played the game... preferring the long and open outside route to the quarterback over the short, tight inside one" (lewis loc. 329). it's ironic that his fear of being trapped at the bottom of a pile, is what made him so feared by many. from this evidence one can infer that fear is universal and a part of the human condition. |