Is Micah really on the level of Lawrence Taylor?

[THEHEREAFTER]

I remember LT terrorizing Danny White/Aikman and the league. Micah seems to be a little quicker in the Derrick Thomas mold/LT hybrid. LT was a little bigger and seemed to be more destructive when he hit you but that was also a different era. Growing up in the "lore" of LT, it's hard to imagine our young superstar in that same vein but it's happening.

 

[erod]

Quinn uses him differently throughout the game now because he's got the guys he needs.

That makes Micah impossible to prepare for. He's lining up everywhere.

 

[erod]

Potentially yes, but only if he can sustain this effort for the whole season instead of wearing down like he did last year.
He's really focused on training his body in the offseason to last for a whole season so I hope it happens because he is a beast.

Dallas only played 47 plays of defense yesterday. With rotations, the defensive linemen only played about 20-25 plays each.

That must continue against subpar teams to keep them fresh, especially Micah, who only has 5th gear.

 

[GMO415]

He's awfully close, but I don't see the entire NFL changing just yet to counter him. They did that for LT.

 

[blindzebra]

He's awfully close, but I don't see the entire NFL changing just yet to counter him. They did that for LT.

Not so sure, he sees double teams multiple times a game. They are sending backs and TEs to his side to chip him. That is why many of the other players have sacks.

 

[DrlabonAggiesCowboys]

Give Micah cocaine and he might just murder a QB.

I remember taylor playing and Micah is every bit as destructive. Other players like him (in terms of pure destructiveness), Jerome Brown, Reggie White, JJ Watt, Derrick Thomas, Ray Lewis, Charles Hayley.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I'll take the LT comparisons over the DT comparisons only because the LT comparisons hopefully come with 2 Super Bowls.

 

[G2]

And without blow.

 

[Big_D]

The speed power combo.. no doubt about it. He'll either blow right by you or manhandle you. Very LT like.

 

[Vtwin]

The two people I want to hear weigh in on this are Bill Parcells and Joe Theismann.

 

[quickccc]

When you consider that LT changed the way offenses played, and thus changed the NFL, it's hard to compare the two. Micah now plays against the schemes that were designed to stop LT. Would LT be nearly as dominant now? Hard to say.

Ditto here.

Taylor changed the NFL game to the 2 TE sets in order to have a chance at double teaming him.

As dynamic a pass rusher as he is, I do not see Parsons' as an "evolutionizer " that changes the NFL game.
L. Taylor with the 2 TE offense,..or Bob Hayes with the zone coverages instead of man coverage...

And we've had guys like Deion Sanders, Reggie White, Michael Strahan, Bruce Smith
and even locally with Haley & Dware, all who've never been in NFL MVP serious talk,
but Micah is gonna surpass them as the exceptional to the rule ?

Frankly I will definitely indeed see Micah's name in the mix as Defensive NFL MVP
ala Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, Stephen Gilmore, etc. but not NFL MVP.
Not even being a very popular Cowboys (per America's Team) will change it to NFL MVP for Parsons, imo.

In a passing league of today's era, the QBs will always be looked at first and foremost.
Mahomes, Hurts, L. Jackson, D. Watson, Purdy .. (Dak ?)

BTW, .Can anyone remember a FG kicker actually once being named NFL MVP ?

 

[Cowboys5217]

Micah is playing on LT's level. I saw LT his whole career. I still have PTSD from it

 

[baltcowboy]

Ive been hearing/seeing this a lot lately.


To the older fans out there that have seen both play in real-time, is Micah on his level?

Hard for me to believe that Micah is on a trajectory to be the GOAT defensive player.

Taylor was one of a kind. I grew up in Washington football country and Joe Gibbs changed his entire offensive philosophy to counter LT.

 

[Ranching]

Ive been hearing/seeing this a lot lately.


To the older fans out there that have seen both play in real-time, is Micah on his level?

Hard for me to believe that Micah is on a trajectory to be the GOAT defensive player.

He is now, but longevity will be the key. LT was bigger and withstood the beatings for many years. Let's hope Micah can too. Unless he walks in free agency...lol

 

[Miller]

I put this in another thread:

So I was listening to the Ticket this morning and this topic came up. Craig Miller went out on a limb and said that if Parsons keeps up this style of play for lets say...next 5 years...that he would be considered the GOAT for a D player with the current GOAT being Lawrence Taylor. He said the conclusion seems logical because if LT was a 4.6/4.7 wrecking machine and Parsons is a newer/current version running a 4.3 and terrorizing opponents then the newer, updated model would take over. Now the issue is...who people in different generations think is the GOAT on D. Some around here would throw out Bob Lily from a Cowboys perspective. Old School people might say Butkus. Some people would throw Deion out there for how he shut down a field....etc. But this is being thrown out a lot! I fall under the umbrella that it is WAYY too early to make these claims, etc and that we should just enjoy this. But it was interesting none the less considering the guy is ridiculous every game and has the mamba mindset to keep trying to improve. I mean most of us were on here when every week our O had to score 35 to have a chance. I just love what is happening

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profo...-cowboys-aaron-rodgers-peter-king-fmia-week-2

BTW: I covered the Giants for four prime Lawrence Taylorseasons. Micah Parsons is the closest thing I’ve seen to Taylor in terms of being able to collapse the pocket with a bull-rush and turnstile a tackle with unblockable speed.

 

[quickccc]

Keep an eye on Parson's energy and production at season's end to see if he shows fading wear and tear toll.

It could take quite a body toll battles with these 340-250 lb OTs ....vs every down, every game,

Past NFL Most Valuable Players Winners:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-nfl-mvp-award.htm

 

[Praxit]

..I would love in my life time, seeing Parsons or Cowboy player get MVP. ..

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

He shares the same appetite for destruction. I don't know that he'll be the same player that LT was but I've only ever seen that appetite for destruction in a handful of players. LT, Reggie White, Aaron Donald, Ray Lewis, and Micah. Lots of other "greats" out there like Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Michael Strahan, Deacon, etc... but none that wanted to destroy you, shame your children, eat your pets, and tear up you house like Micah.

 

[Creeper]

I have lived in NJ more than 65 years so I saw Lawrence Taylor play his entire career. And I met him a few times in our local bowling ally where he used to come in and bowl every now and then (without putting fingers in the ball I might add!).

A couple of comparisons first. Taylor and Parsons are both the same height and about the same weight. But Taylor played at a time when offensive linemen were a lot smaller. JT Turner, the LT for the Giants in 1981 weight about 255 lbs. So Taylor was rushing guys who were maybe 20 or 30 lbs bigger than he was. Parsons is listed at 245ish but he is going against guys over 300 lbs! He is giving 60 to 70 lbs away.

Players are also quicker today, even the offensive linemen. Taylor, was disruptive. He was the one guy on the field teams had to account for and know where he was on every down. Parsons is the same kind of play. You can see when he is on the field everyone knows they have to play faster. QBs and offensive linemen make mistake because they are speeding up the clock in their heads. Micah is literally a game change, like Taylor.

It is impossible to compare two players from different eras facing different opponents but I have no doubt that so far Parsons is right there is Taylor. The advantage Parsons has so far is he seems more mentally equipped to deal with life in the NFL.

 

[75boyz]

He is today's closest version but he also has to maintain this level of dominance for over a decade as LT did, to be considered near equal.

And to add, LT literally changed the game with his play and all those that have followed have been forever searching for their next "LT".

But for this split second/now...
He's as close as there's been.