Micah Parsons, a legend in the making?

[JameisLoseston]

Parsons hit 10 sacks for his rookie season tonight, and seems likely to reach 100 tackles by the end of it as well. Every time I watch the Cowboys, which is surely no shortage of sample size thanks to the NFL's disproportionate favoring of them for national coverage, Parsons jumps out at me as an impact player every game, along with Diggs. But where I feel like Parsons is truly different is in the way he has reunified the linebacker position; drafted as an inside LB, he has taken on a hybrid stuffer/rusher role that I really haven't seen in my lifetime, and feels like some aspect of what watching Lawrence Taylor must have been like. There have been high-sack seasons by interior LBs, like Darius Leonard's rookie season and Devin White last year, but such numbers came by way of high efficiency in small samples of blitz packages, rather than a regular assignment getting at the quarterback. Parsons, on the other hand, actually plays both positions and has proven to play both very, very well. Also, unlike Leonard, Parsons doesn't strike me as a player entering the league already at his full potential; he's adjusting to a new play style as he acclimates to the NFL itself, and is only going to get better. All told, as he matures in the league, he feels more and more like that one player who could possibly put together that season where he averages close to 10 tackles and a sack per game, and brings the MVP back to the defense. What do you think?

[JWL]

Yeah, he is looking good so far. We have had threads about the Seahawks being the next dynasty and Todd Bowles being the next great head coach so we should wait and see if Parsons can string together a few good years before the term legend might be appropriate.

[Brian wolf]

With higher salaries and players more worried about their social media status than putting together consecutive, starting game streaks, the young players of today can become stars but its doubtful that any of them will become "legends" but I hope I am proven wrong ... For any player to reach that status, he has to stay healthy and play as many games as he can regardless of free agency.

[sluggermatt15]

To me it's about sustaining high level of productivity over time while avoiding injuries. If he can do that, he'll be a legend.

[lastcat3]

How is his rookie season comparing to how Lawrence Taylor looked when he first came into the league. Probably unfair to compare him to Taylor during his prime years right now but how does he compare to LT during the '81 and '82 seasons?

[JameisLoseston]

How is his rookie season comparing to how Lawrence Taylor looked when he first came into the league. Probably unfair to compare him to Taylor during his prime years right now but how does he compare to LT during the '81 and '82 seasons?

This is exactly what I want to know. Parsons seems on par statistically. Anyone have season-by-season tackle totals for Taylor? I imagine this is something available in this day and age.

[Brian wolf]

Ronnie Lott to me, had the best rookie season on defense in NFL history.

[rhickok1109]

Ronnie Lott to me, had the best rookie season on defense in NFL history.

Hmmm...I don't think he beats Night Train Lane, who set a record for interceptions that still stands, 59 years later, even though he played in a 12-game season.

[JameisLoseston]

Ronnie Lott to me, had the best rookie season on defense in NFL history.

Hmmm...I don't think he beats Night Train Lane, who set a record for interceptions that still stands, 59 years later, even though he played in a 12-game season.

This is actually less impressive than it sounds. Double-digit interception seasons were very common in this era, and many of them were in rookie seasons before teams started throwing away from the guy

[Brian wolf]

Dick Lane had a great season but I considered Lott's impact in the postseason and winning the SB in 81/82