Ty Law

image
captionTy Law on the HBO documentary Hard Knocks.
currentteamKansas City Chiefs
currentnumber24
currentpositionCornerback
birthdate
birthplaceAliquippa, Pennsylvania
heightft=5 heightin=11
weight200
debutyear1995
debutteamNew England Patriots
highlights * 5x [[Pro Bowl]] selection ([[1999 Pro Bowl|1998]],
[[2002 Pro Bowl|2001]], [[2003 Pro Bowl|2002]], [[2004 Pro Bowl|2003]], [[2006 Pro Bowl|2005]]) * 2x All-Pro selection (1998, 2003) * 3x [[Super Bowl]] champion ([[Super Bowl XXXVI|XXXVI]], [[Super Bowl XXXVIII|XXXVIII]], [[Super Bowl XXXIX|XXXIX]]) * 2x Leader in NFL in interceptions (1998, 2005*)
*tied with [[Deltha O'Neal]] in 2005 |college=[[University of Michigan|Michigan]] |draftyear=1995 |draftround=1 |draftpick=23 |pastteams=
nflLAW121836
Tajuan "Ty" Law (born February 10, 1974 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania) is an American football cornerback who currently plays with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.

College career :

Law had a three-year stint at the University of Michigan where he lettered three years in a row (1992-94), earned first-team All-American honors from Walter Camp as a senior and was a two-time unanimous All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Professional career :

New England Patriots :

He was drafted 23rd overall in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots where he spent the majority of his career. In 1998 Law earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. That year he led the league with 9 interceptions, the first time any New England Patriot had led the league in interceptions.
 
Law earned his first Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2001. In Super Bowl XXXVI, Law intercepted a Kurt Warner pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, the first points of the game for the Patriots, who eventually won the game 20-17.
 
Law was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year and for the fourth time in his career after the 2003 season. In 2003, Law was part of a record-breaking Patriots defense that led the NFL in four key categories: opponents points per game (14.9), opponents passer rating (56.2), interceptions (29) and passing touchdowns surrendered (11). Law's physical play against some of the game's best receivers prompted the NFL to more strictly enforce the five-yard illegal contact rule on defensive backs after the 2003 season. These enforcement changes, heavily pushed by Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian, are sometimes referred to as the "Ty Law Rule." In the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, Law intercepted 3 passes from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, assisting his team to a 24-14 win and their second Super Bowl appearance in 3 years, where they defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29.
 
Law earned his third Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004, but missed the final 9 games of the season and all three of the Patriots' playoff games due to a foot injury.

New York Jets :

On February 25, 2005, Law was released by the Patriots due to his $12,551,000 cap salaryhttp://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1997269 ESPN.com. Accessed 27 December 2007.. The Patriots saved $9,849,997 on the 2005 salary cap. On August 8, 2005, Law agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the New York Jets.
 
Law amassed a career-high 10 interceptions and was the only Jet voted into the Pro Bowl (Jonathan Vilma was named to the Pro Bowl as well, but that was due to an injury to Miami's Zach Thomas, not by means of popular vote by the fans). On December 26, 2005, Law returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown against the Patriots. Law was released by the New York Jets on February 22, 2006 as the Jets were a projected $26 million over the salary cap for 2006http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2339793 ESPN.com. Accessed 27 December 2007.. Law was due to make $7.6 million for 2006http://www.morningsun.net/stories/072406/spo_20060724031.shtml morningsun.net. Accessed 27 December 2007..

Kansas City Chiefs :

On July 25, Law passed his physical with the Chiefs and signed a five-year deal worth $30 millionLaw ready to secure Chiefs secondary ESPN.com. Accessed 22 July 2007.. Law reunited with coach Herman Edwards, whom Law had played under in the 2005 season hoping to strengthen the Jets' defense. Law had originally shown interest in Kansas City in the 2005 offseason but was then considered too expensive for the Chiefs organization to sign, therefore he signed with the Jets
 
In the Chiefs' 2006 playoff loss against the Indianapolis Colts, Law intercepted 2 passes from Peyton Manning. This set the NFL postseason record for most postseason interceptions (5) ever recorded by one player against anotherhttp://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2723016 ESPN.com. Accessed 27 December 2007..

Career statistics (defense) :

Year Team G 0 Tkl 0 Ast 0 Sacks 0 Int 0 Yds Avg Lg TD 0 Pass Def
1995 New England Patriots 14 48 7 1 3 47 15.7 38 0 9
1996 New England Patriots 13 62 6 0 3 45 15 38 1 9
1997 New England Patriots 16 77 7 1 3 70 23.3 40 0 11
1998 New England Patriots 16 70 10 0 9 133 14.8 59 1 27
1999 New England Patriots 13 59 9 1 2 20 10 27 1 10
2000 New England Patriots 15 74 11 0 2 32 16 32 0 11
2001 New England Patriots 16 70 9 1 3 91 30.3 46 2 6
2002 New England Patriots 16 77 15 1 4 33 8.2 29 0 10
2003 New England Patriots 15 74 12 0 6 112 18.7 65 1 23
2004 New England Patriots 7 28 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
2005 New York Jets 16 62 17 0 10 195 19.5 74 1 18
2006 Kansas City Chiefs 16 69 5 1 4 11 2.8 16 0 9
2007 Kansas City Chiefs 16 47 8 0 2 2 1 2 0 13
Total 189 420 74 5 52 791 13.48 74 7 161

Notes and references :