Micah Parsons is a problem. Opponents must plan for the Cowboys’ sack-machine, and now it is the turn of the Giants to slow him down. Good luck.
FRISCO (Texas) — As Thursday night turned into Friday morning in the NFL draft of 2021, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: “Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.”
Just hours away, the Cowboys had selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons as their 12th overall draft selection. It was a surprising decision. Is it safety or cornerback? This would have worked for a franchise that had seen its secondary struggle in recent years. To wreck pockets by choosing a defensive end? This could also have been justified considering the importance of rushing in a more pass-heavy league.
Parsons was a college off-ball linebacker. He could he really explode pockets like the Cowboys imagined?
Now, 17 months later, Parsons is the reigning defensive rookie of the year. Parsons became the first player to record 17 sacks in his 18 first career games. This despite Parsons being primarily on the defensive line in six of those games. As a rookie, Parsons had 13 sacks and 83 tackles. He also made 37 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and had 37 quarterback hits. According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons has four sacks (tied with the league’s most), five hurries, and 13 total pressures in the first two weeks.
Jones stated last Tuesday that Jones was inordinately intense. Jones spoke on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. While it’s difficult to gauge a player’s intensity when evaluating them, you can see that he is intense. This is in addition to his extraordinary athletic ability.
Parsons’ rise to the top of the NFL game-scraper
Micah Parsons is a problem. Opponents must plan for the Cowboys’ sack-machine, and now it is the turn of the Giants to try to slow him. Good luck.
FRISCO (Texas) — As Thursday night turned into Friday morning in the NFL draft of 2021, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: “Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.”
Just hours away, the Cowboys had selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons as their 12th overall draft selection. It was a surprising decision. Is it safety or cornerback? This would have worked for a franchise that had seen its secondary struggle in recent years. To wreck pockets by choosing a defensive end? This could also have been justified considering the importance of rushing in a more pass-heavy league.ADVERTISEMENT
Parsons was a college off-ball linebacker. He could he really blow up pockets like the Cowboys thought?
Now, 17 months later, Parsons is the reigning defensive rookie of the year. Parsons became the first player to record 17 sacks in his 18 first career games. This despite Parsons being primarily on the defensive line in six of those games. As a rookie, Parsons had 13 sacks and 83 tackles. He also made 37 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and had 37 quarterback hits. According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons has already amassed four sacks (tied with the league-most), five rushes and 13 total pressures in the first two weeks.
Jones stated last Tuesday that Jones was inordinately intense. Jones spoke on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. While it’s difficult to gauge a player’s intensity when evaluating them, you can see that he is intense. This is in addition to his extraordinary athletic ability.ADVERTISEMENT
“In this game called ‘Pressure Player City’, if you can play pressure players, you can do some serious damage.” He is.
The Cowboys will open NFC East play Monday against the New York Giants. They expect Parsons to keep influencing quarterbacks and games. The question around Cowboys headquarters is not will Parsons prevail, but How.
‘Not only his speed, but also his intelligence’
According to PFF, Parsons has taken 120 defensive snaps in two games. Parsons has been attacked ninety-five percent of the time from the defensive line. He was also used as a down linebacker 24 times and in the secondary once.ADVERTISEMENT
Parsons’ year 2 game is a mix of many different styles. Even this split doesn’t capture all that Parsons has accomplished. Parsons is an edge rusher and has aligned himself across the left tackles of his opponents as well as their right. Parsons has circled outside to get to the pocket, and then swam inside. DeMarcus Ware (1992-2013) was a former Pro Bowl outside linebacker. He had a 12-season career with the Cowboys. 138.5 sacks were part of his 12 season career.
Cowboys LB Micah Parsons was able to sack Tom Brady twice. Both on the third down, in red zone.
He said, “Those are the money downs.” “I think: It must be now. We have to get off the field. They have to take this 3, especially if they’re in our territory.”pic.twitter.com/xzI1cp7bvA
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 15, 2022ADVERTISEMENT
Ware said by phone to Yahoo Sports that Ware is not only fast, but smart. “When you first arrive, they are usually like, “Hey, just dip, and rip.” “Dip and rip around the corner.” Now, I can see him improving his toolbox and using other people’s moves in order to be more effective.
Ware pointed out Parsons’ first sack for the season. Parsons was facing third-and-5 from Dallas’ eight-yard line at halftime of the second quarter. Parsons ran from the right side and Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith stepped out to block him. Parsons didn’t hesitate to spin inside and reach for Brady’s ankle in order to complete the sack. Tampa Bay settled on a 36-yard field goal attempt that was not successful.
Parsons fired Brady again on the next drive, ending another promising red-zone visit. Parsons also sacked Joe Burrow twice the following week, once running from the left edge and diving underneath, and again against the Cincinnati Bengals.ADVERTISEMENT
Parsons’ attack strategy has changed. Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Opponents, stated that their “focal point” will not change.
McCarthy stated that “When [opponents] face the Dallas Cowboys he’s probably their first thought in their offensive rooms.” “We must continue to create targets challenges for the offense [to] make it harder for the opponent’s offensive staff to work harder, the challenge to where he is.
“Because he’s so disruptive at the end,ADVERTISEMENT
How will it play against the Giants?
New plan vs. New York
Parsons’ assignments will be shifted once again by the Cowboys. The Giants average 5.2 yards per rushing attempt, while 5 yards per pass attempt is 5. Star Saquon Barkley compiled 282 yards from the scrimmage (236 rush) and a touchdown in the Giants’ opening win at Tennessee.
In meetings, Cowboys defenders talked about the danger Barkley’s speed and elusiveness pose to their team. The importance of perimeter runs and left-side attempts is going to be the focus. Ware stated that if he was a defensive coordinator, he would prefer Parsons’ right side coverage to accommodate that.ADVERTISEMENTHow the Cowboys use him is a key factor in Micah Parsons’s record-breaking start to his NFL career. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images).
Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator, said that Parsons should not be playing in a rush.
Quinn stated that Quinn felt tempted to keep Quinn there as he has had success doing so. Quinn said that Quinn is a good linebacker and can make plays with the ball in spaces that might not be possible. It’s a great asset to have the ability to be somewhere you are not supposed to be.
In the Cowboys’ opening game, Parsons proved that this value was there. Brady gave the ball to Leonard Fournette, running back, on second-and-2 in the final quarter. Parsons, who had rushed the passer to take the snap immediately before, now appears as a middle linebacker. Parsons cut through the lane where five of his fellow Bucs teammates were engaged as he cleared Fournette’s path. Parsons threw Fournettte out of bounds just as he reached the open field.
Fournette smashed Dallas for 17 yards but failed to score. Fournette was briefly in the end zone, but it seemed that Fournette would score.
Parsons is open to the opportunity to play such a role, regardless of whether it’s game-changing plays or disruptive for his teammates.
Parsons stated, “The best player of the league, and I don’t want anything less than that.” “Being the top player in the league does not mean that you will have 20 sacks. Your teams will be able to win championships and have the best defense if they are led by the best players in the league.
“I must make people around me better. “I have to be someone you can trust in big moments.”