Parsons and Taylor should never be mentioned in the same sentence

[JW82]

I think if was able to be an OLB in a 3-4 he'd be doing the same things. He's too small to be playing DE in a 4-3 all day. Yes he can beat lineman and get pressure but he also wears down.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

There's a reason why teams disguise their plays and call audibles.

Novel concept, I know.

And theres a reason we have scouts and defensive coordinators in the booth.

Are you saying we are so ignorant we dont have run defense calls? That all parsons does is rush qb?

Well that WOULD explain bills game.

 

[Doomsday]

But what's going to happen is if you put Parsons at linebacker, who's going to provide the pass rush?
Teams will just sit back and pick us off in the passing game.
Parsons' pass rush pressure helps our secondary.

We need more playmakers on the defensive line. Maybe then, Parsons can return to play his natural position.

P.S., I'm not even engaging in the MP v. LT comparison. You can't compare a player in his third year to an all-time great whose career is done and evaluated.
Rather, I'm here to debunk this notion that Parson is a "one year wonder" who hasn't been a consistent force in the Cowboys defense.
That is patently absurd!

I get it, he might be there out of necessity but at the same time they could move him around a bit more on early downs, he isn't that great vs runs right at him.

You can make an argument that he would be fresher if they did so and more effective at rushing the passer if he doesn't have 300 pound linemen leaning on him in the run game all season.

 

[nhcowboysfan]

I don't think they are using Parson's talents effectively. I never liked the idea of lining him up predominately as a DE - it has made him too one dimensional - and it has reduced him to nothing more than a pass specialist. Teams know this, so on running plays they use his explosiveness against him. They allow him to shoot around the tackle, and by the time he realizes it's a run play, he's 3-4 yards behind the RB. They need to put him back at LB. I would line him up most times on 1st and 2nd behind the our defensive tackles. That way he can read which direction the RB is going and attack from there. If it's play action, he has the speed to accelerate up the middle and get in the QB's face. On downs where it's likely to be a pass play, then maybe you can line up over one of the tackles as a DE.

 

[Bagman]

They shouldn't ever be mentioned in the same sentence. Parsons could NEVER consume the staggering amount of drugs and booze that L.T. did and then get on the field and play at a high level.

 

[Captain-Crash]

There's a reason why teams disguise their plays and call audibles.

Novel concept, I know.

to confuse dak?

 

[Lodeus]

LT was on coke

 

[Jumbo075]

Yeah, I'd say
LT''s one and only generational impact on the game remains in tact.
And that he still has no peers.

In my opinion, Reggie White is the greatest defensive player of all time, not Taylor. And it's not really that close. This is an argument like the one that claims Jim Brown is the best RB of all time, when Barry Sanders was clearly better than any other RB to play the game. This is not a knock on either Taylor or Brown. But both have been eclipsed by other players.

I would argue that Taylor had a bigger impact on the NFL, highlighting the importance of the offensive tackle position. But the importance of the OT position has been enhanced by changes in the rules, which has diminished the run game, and with the prolific passing games of today, increased the importance of wide-outs and quarterbacks. Taylor played in a different era, when stopping the run was just as important as rushing the passer. That;s like arguing the difference between Jerry Rice and Bob Hayes - both HOF wide receivers. Bob Hayes caused the entire NFL to change because no one could guard him one-on-one. So, Hayes had the bigger impact on how the game is played. But Rice is clearly the best wide receiver of all time - except maybe Randy Moss would have been better if he had two HOF QB's to play for his entire career.

One thing to think about when comparing LT to Parsons - which started with a lot of other people in the NFL, not me - is the style of defense they play in. It would be interesting to see how Parsons played in a full-on 3-4 defense., and also how he would be deployed if running games were more a part of the NFL today. One of the reasons I think Parsons is compared to LT is that he has the ability to beat Olinemen with both power and speed, and his ability to beat double teams when rushing the passer. That is why he gets compared to LT. On the other hand, LT, despite him destroying QB's, played a more complete LB role, where Parsons has been relegated to playing primarily as a pass rusher - more in the mold of DeMarcus Ware than Lawrence Taylor.

I still say that LT's performance was enhanced by his use of cocaine - much like that of Hollywood Henderson in the 1970's. LT was also allowed to play with more fury, unlike the defensive players of today. LT would get fined out of his mind in today's NFL, much like Roy Williams, after 5 straight Pro Bowls to start his career, became irrelevant after the NFL outlawed his style of play. Roy Williams would easily be another Cowboys' HOF player if he played in the era of Ronnie Lott, and was allowed to go head hunting like Lott and Taylor did in the 1980's. In many ways, it's unfair to modern players to compare them to the great defensive players of the past, simply because the modern rules prevent us from seeing just how ferocious they might be if not constricted by the modern day "safety" rules that limit the effectiveness of defenses in today's NFL.

I'm not saying that Parsons is better than LT. I am saying that it would be interesting to see how Parsons could play if he played under the same rules that governed Taylor, and was hyped up on performance enhancing drugs like LT.

 

[Manster_Mash]

If you did some research you’d see that he currently is the slight favorite over Myles Garrett for DPOY. Your opinion doesn’t matter

Yes, I'm sure there's been a survey of the voters. Lol. If you beleive that, then go ahead and put down your bet. He is 9th in sacks. 9th. I don't think there are 8 better players than him, but there is ZERO chance a pass rusher ranked 9th in sacks is winning DPOY.

 

[Dalmations202]

<snip>, when Barry Sanders was clearly better than any other RB to play the game. <snip>

Love the writeup except for this one line.
Best RB -- I loved watching Barry Sanders, but clearly better?
Best RB for power -- Earl Campbell
Best Strength to speed -- Bo Jackson
Best overall, vision and longevity -- Emmitt Smith
Most likely to just outrun the D -- Tony Dorsett
Made it look easy -- Sweetness Walter Payton

LT, Eric Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Marshawn Lynch, OJ, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen all can make "a claim" at being the best without including Jim Brown. Not sure how you can say Barry was clearly better than any other RB.
I do agree that he is a GREAT RB, but not clearly better than any of these others, just different.

 

[Jumbo075]

Love the writeup except for this one line.
Best RB -- I loved watching Barry Sanders, but clearly better?
Best RB for power -- Earl Campbell
Best Strength to speed -- Bo Jackson
Best overall, vision and longevity -- Emmitt Smith
Most likely to just outrun the D -- Tony Dorsett
Made it look easy -- Sweetness Walter Payton

LT, Eric Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Marshawn Lynch, OJ, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen all can make "a claim" at being the best without including Jim Brown. Not sure how you can say Barry was clearly better than any other RB.
I do agree that he is a GREAT RB, but not clearly better than any of these others, just different.

Well, if Bo Jackson had dedicated himself to football, and not gotten injured, I'd favor him to be the best of all time. But he didn't. Bo Jackson is likely the best overall American athlete of the 20th century, bar none.

 

[Chasing6]

L.T. was a COMPLETE linebacker. He was as good against the run as he was terrorizing qbs. His backside pursuit of rbs was amazing. And he had no problems shedding blocks and getting the tackle when offenses attempted to run directly at him as well.

Micah might be a lion when prowling for qbs. But he is a mere pup against the run. Now here is the greatest defensive player of all time showing you raw aggression and relentless pursuit against the run. Micah is not even in the same stratosphere.

I think Micah is 100% of the time hunting QB's.

Whose fault is that? His or DQ's.

The more we move him around and ask him to do more things, the less predictable and more difficult it becomes to scheme against him.

Also if he is getting consistently doubled all the time why not blitz for his side more often?

 

[Chasing6]

Also Pretty sure Parson's is not taking cocaine before every game and at halftime.

 

[diamonddelts]

I think Micah is 100% of the time hunting QB's.

Whose fault is that? His or DQ's.

The more we move him around and ask him to do more things, the less predictable and more difficult it becomes to scheme against him.

Also if he is getting consistently doubled all the time why not blitz for his side more often?

Great post.

 

[Whyjerry]

L.T. was a COMPLETE linebacker. He was as good against the run as he was terrorizing qbs. His backside pursuit of rbs was amazing. And he had no problems shedding blocks and getting the tackle when offenses attempted to run directly at him as well.

Micah might be a lion when prowling for qbs. But he is a mere pup against the run. Now here is the greatest defensive player of all time showing you raw aggression and relentless pursuit against the run. Micah is not even in the same stratosphere.

Yeah but Micah is better at Twitter.

 

[mrmojo]

Cocaine is a performance enhancing drug? First I have heard that.....

 

[IceStar-D7]

Agreed...It's criminal for anybody to even let that float into their mind. This guy isn't even a bad Ken Norton on Norton's worse day.

 

[DuceizBak]

I said Micah Parsons is an elite defender, but he will never win a DPOY. The only way he wins DPOY of the year is he completely dominates against the Dolphins and Lions..which he likely won't because they have smart headcoaches who will nullify him.

 

[diamonddelts]

Yeah but Micah is better at Twitter.

That is all that matters.

 

[PaulieWalnuts]

Yes, I'm sure there's been a survey of the voters. Lol. If you beleive that, then go ahead and put down your bet. He is 9th in sacks. 9th. I don't think there are 8 better players than him, but there is ZERO chance a pass rusher ranked 9th in sacks is winning DPOY.

He’s 8th and 1 sack away from being in the top 5. DPOY isn’t based solely on overall sack numbers. Players with more sacks than him thus far aren’t even in the conversation. There’s a multitude of reasons for that. I was responding to a post that said he was a “one year wonder,” meanwhile, the only player to have more sacks than Micah in his 1st 3 seasons is Reggie White and Micah is about to make his 3rd consecutive First-team All-Pro.