Blogging The Boys
Sans Micah Parsons less is… well, less.
Micah Parsons’ days are done in Dallas. Following a tumultuous negotiation period, the Cowboys ultimately decided enough was enough and sent their star All-Pro pass rusher packing to the land of cheese, pine trees, and Chicagoland vacation homes.Cowboys fans overwhelmingly landed on the outraged side of the situation, calling Parsons a generational player and impossible to replace.
Looking at the Cowboys defense, it’s hard to argue to the contrary. Parsons hasn’t just been the best defender on the team, but he’s arguably been the best defender in the entire NFL. He’s been a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who’s typically led the league in pass rushing efficiency.His impact isn’t just reflected in his own stat sheet, but stats across the defense.
The Cowboys’ defense has been overwhelmingly better with Parsons on the field because of the gravity he pulls. According to Bill Barnwell, the Cowboys are the top ranked defense in the NFL, by EPA standards, when Parsons is on the field. When he’s on the sideline, Dallas is the second worst. It’s something that’s not likely to change anytime soon because NFL defenses are trending in a direction that supports it. Look no further than the reemergence of 2-high coverages.
Over the past few years NFL defenses have moved away from the old. Seattle single-high model and towards a Vic Fangio 2-high scheme. Teams have found packing the secondary with coverage and placing shells over the top has been far more fruitful than filling all the gaps and crowding the line of scrimmage.
This coverage focused direction means fewer players rush the passer. That’s especially true for Matt Eberflus, Dallas’ new defensive coordinator. Eberflus doesn’t blitz often and when he does it’s only with one additional pass rusher. Like most of today’s coverage-focused defenses, he relies on the individual play of the four upfront to provide most of the pressure.
Schemes such as this make elite players extra valuable since they are reliant on winning individual battles. That’s why trading Parsons is such a head scratcher.Parsons was a player who demanded double-teams and still won. Without him those double-teams will fall onto the shoulders of players who struggled to just win their one-on-ones.
Who the Cowboys could add with the trade capital afforded to them after the Parsons trade.
The Dallas Cowboys trade of Micah Parsons on Thursday stunned the sports world and broke fans’ hearts. Already feeling disenfranchised, this fanbase now feels even more burned by ownership. Jerry Jones’s frustrating post-trade press conference didn’t help those feelings, but it did offer a consolation prize for the future.
Dallas’s 82-year-old owner, president, and general manager pointed out...
