PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Giants legend Lawrence Taylor has all the respect in the world for what Tom Coughlin has accomplished with Big Blue, but the NFL’s greatest defensive player said it’s time to sack the two-time Super Bowl winning coach.

“Tom Coughlin has done wonders for the Giants. Personally, I don’t know if I could play for him, but the guy is a winner, he is a fighter. But I think it is time for him to take his talents on the road,’’ Taylor told The Post Saturday night at the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic. “He’s done all he can do for the Giants. If he wants to coach, I think he needs to take his philosophies to another team.

“After a while, the players just stop listening. I respect the man, but it’s time. As much as I like Coughlin and the job he has done, it’s time for a shakeup.’’

Taylor has no ax to grind, he just feels removing Coughlin as coach of the Giants is best for the team at this juncture. LT never has been afraid to tackle a difficult situation.

The Giants are struggling along with a 5-8 record and will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. In the 2011 and 2007 seasons they won Super Bowls under Coughlin, but the clock has run out on the coach, according to LT.

Taylor insisted this is not personal. This is how he feels, he bleeds Giants Blue, and he doesn’t care what people think about his comments.

“Listen,’’ he said as he sat and smoked a cigar. “Everything is good in my life now. There are a lot of people who care about me and are concerned about me, and the people who don’t like me, I’m not in the mood and I’m not going to try to change your opinion. I’m fine with that. My life is good.’’

LT came to the Dominican to support Ortiz and his charity.

“Big Papi has a big heart and he cares,’’ Taylor said. “A guy like that with that notoriety, with that status, he could easily say kiss off and do his own thing. He genuinely loves people and the things he does for the city of Boston and the Dominican Republic.’’

Taylor cares about the Giants, the NFL and defense, and he does not like what he sees.

“I’m not going to bash on the NFL, but some of the rules are really starting to get ridiculous,’’ he said with passion. “You handicap the defensive player. In about five years, quarterbacks and wide receivers, pads are going to be optional, they are not going to have to wear them unless they want to. You can’t intimidate anymore. Back when I was playing, that’s how I measured a good wide receiver — if he was willing to go over the middle and catch the ball he was a bad S.O.B.

“The passing game is two-thirds of the offense. It’s a seven-on-seven drill, that’s all it is. I’m looking now and say: ‘How did this guy get so wide open?’ Well everybody’s wide open. The quarterback has to be inept not to get the ball to him. It’s a different game. Baseball and basketball haven’t changed much over the last 20 years, but football has.

“If you can’t score 34 points in a half, you can’t win. If you’re not allowed to play defense, if you are not allowed to hit, if you are not allowed to intimidate, if you are not allowed to impress your will on somebody else, what do you do? You sit there and say, what am I a practice dummy?’’

As for the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito controversy in Miami, Taylor said bluntly, “That should have been handled in the locker room, the morning meeting. To make it go viral like this is just putting a sissy stamp on the NFL. How do you intimidate a 300-pound man? He’s already intimidating. Let’s grow some nuts.’’

Yes, even at the age of 54, the hits keep on coming for LT.