You can be forgiven if you are still recovering from the shock of the collapse of the Green Bay Packers defense last Sunday night. It’s understandable. It really was quite stunning to see a unit that had pretty well shut down the Lions, Commanders and Browns, suddenly turn into a sieve of ineptitude, unable to sack the quarterback, tackle, cover, or take the ball away. A unit that gave up 40 points to a team that was beaten 31-14 by the Bears the previous week. Did we all overrate this defense? Were those first three games a mirage? An illusion? A fluke?
Micah Parsons says no. The defense is for real. He called the Dallas game “a rough patch”. It is not who they are, he says. And certainly not what they will become. He wants you to understand that his arrival on the team completely changes its potential, in a way that perhaps the players and the coaches don’t yet understand. “I can play all five spots,” the two time all pro states, in a way that seems matter of fact, void of conceit. “I don’t think there’s anyone that can do what I do. I mean that in the most humble way possible.”
It’s not bragging if it’s true. Quarterback pressures are a subjective statistic. I've seen several different figures. According to jsonline.com, Parsons has 24 pressures, 9 QB hits and 2.5 sacks. He's done that despite being with his new team for only a little over a month. Whatever caused the breakdowns against the Cowboys, it wasn’t because of Parsons. He, of course, won’t say that, but reading between the lines of his comments after the game isn’t difficult.
One thing he hopes will develop in light of his presence is a general raising of the standard on defense. He pointed to the praise he has received for chasing down Dak Prescott from behind inside the five yard line in the fourth quarter. The sack prevented a touchdown that likely would have lost the game. “I’m here because I’m supposed to make that play, not because ‘oh my god he made that play’, I’m supposed to make that play. I’m supposed to help our defense. That’s the reason I was brought here. Making plays is what I’m supposed to do. Taking over games is what I’m supposed to do. I don’t think I should be rewarded for that play. That’s the reason I’m here.”
Parsons believes big defensive plays should be the norm for everybody on the unit. They shouldn’t stand out. He believes this defense will get to that point. What’s more, he has ideas on how to do it, ideas he is excited about. So much so, he started talking to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley about them as the team was in the locker room following the tie with the Cowboys. “We (he and Hafley) were just sitting down together for ten or fifteen minutes post game and I said I want to meet with you one-on-one. Same thing I did with (former Dallas DC Mike) Zimmer, same thing I did with (former Dallas DC) Dan Quinn. Just about what he sees, what I see, how we can scheme up. I’ll take my personal time out of my way so that we can build our relationship together. I hope that, throughout this bye week, we come back and start doing more things together.”
As we come to the quarter mile pole in the season, the stats reveal a curious state of affairs about the defense. The trade for Parsons was supposed to shore up the Packers’ pass rush and pass defense. Prior to opening day, there was still concern as to whether the unit could stop the run, particularly in light of the loss of Kenny Clark. Ironically, through four games, Green Bay ranks second in the league in rush yards allowed. Only the Browns have been better at stopping the running game. However, the Packers currently stand no better than sixteenth in passing yards allowed. (per nfl.com) They stand tied for seventh in sacks with eleven total. One believer in the Parsons plan is Rashan Gary. The seventh year veteran has never had double digit sacks in a season. This year he is already nearly halfway there with four and a half.
Parsons says things will only get better. “We’re still new together. I wish we had a training camp together where he (Hafley) could have seen some things, and we could have had some things in by now to expand on how really good we can be together.”
A bye week is certainly not a training camp, but it can, and should, provide time to figure out what this defense can be. Next week the Packers will face the Bengals, a team struggling on offense after the loss of quarterback Joe Burrow. It will be interesting to see if Green Bay’s defense can return to dominance. With the combined brains of Hafley and Parsons, they should find a way to do it.
After all, there's a new standard to live up to.