For some reason, there’s a narrative out there that Micah Parsons is a liability in the run game. Maybe it stems from Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager/one-man demolition crew Jerry Jones saying his team’s run defense improved with the addition of defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Whatever the reason might be, the general thought behind it just isn’t true. No, you cannot just run at Parsons. Don’t you think an NFL team would have tried that by now, if it were a successful tactic? In fact, you need
a plan for how you can handle him in the run game, as well as the passing game.
Don’t believe me? Here are some clips of Parsons defending the run that I found while watching his film.
I cut out some highlight plays where he was a chase-down player, because the argument seems to be about running AT him. Teams not only have issues running AT him, but they also have to be safe running AWAY from him.
Cite whatever stat you want. If you want to run at that guy, be my guest. It doesn’t seem like a smart idea, though.
