 Taylor made his NFL regular season debut on September 6 , 1981 , in a 24 – 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles . Aside from incurring a penalty for a late hit on Eagles running back Perry Harrington , Taylor played a nondescript game . In a game versus the St. Louis Cardinals later in the season , Taylor rushed and sacked the passer when he was supposed to drop into coverage . When told by Parcells that was not what he was assigned to do on that play , and that what he did was not in the playbook , Taylor responded " Well , we better put it in on Monday , because that play 's a dandy . " He recorded 9 @.@ 5 sacks in 1981 , and his rookie season is considered one of the best in NFL history . He was named 1981 's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year , making him as of 2013 the only rookie to win an Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year award . Taylor 's arrival helped the Giants defense reduce their points allowed from 425 points in 1980 to 257 in 1981 . They finished the season 9 – 7 , up five games from the previous season , and advanced to the NFL divisional playoffs , where they lost 38 – 24 to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers . The San Francisco win was due partly to a new tactic 49ers coach Bill Walsh used to slow Taylor . Walsh assigned guard John Ayers , the team 's best blocker , to block Taylor and , although Taylor still recorded a sack and three tackles , he was not as effective as normal . In contrast to his on @-@ field success Taylor was already developing a reputation for recklessness off the field ; after nearly getting killed during the season when his speeding resulted in a car crash , Young told the team 's trainer he would be surprised if the linebacker lived past the age of 30 , and the Giants insured Taylor 's life for $ 2 million . 
