Watch Micah Parsons go berserk on refs after missed holding, soft roughing the passer
By Jerry Trotta
We all had a hunch that Micah Parsons was going to play like a man possessed against the Miami Dolphins, right? Not only does Parsons love a big stage, but he's good friends with Tyreek Hill and Dallas Cowboys fans irked the all-world pass rusher by wanting the team to move him to linebacker following last week's loss in Buffalo.
Sure enough, Parsons came out scorching hot on Sunday. He hasn't produced a sack (as of this writing), but he's generated multiple pressures that caused Tua Tagovailoa to either abandon his first read or throw the ball away.
Despite being a constant presence in Miami's backfield, Parsons still can't draw a holding flag to save his life.
That streak looked to be over when Parsons was put in a chokehold by a Dolphins blocker, but refs couldn't be bothered to throw a flag. The All-Pro defender was literally arm-barred at the line of scrimmage and the holding infraction continued as Parsons made headway towards Tagovailoa.
Cowboys Micah Parsons can't draw holding call despite being put in chokehold
What does Parsons have to do to get a call? Known to keep his head down and continue hunting quarterbacks, Parsons even tried to sell this one by throwing his hands up mid-chokehold. Like the last two months of play, though, it was to no avail.
Parsons has now gone 35 quarters without drawing a holding penalty, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Worst of all is that the it led to a 19-yard completion to Robbie Chosen. The non-call almost came back to haunt the Cowboys, but the defense came up with a stop on 4th and goal.
Not only can't Parsons draw a hold, but got flagged for a soft roughing the passer penalty on Tagovailoa for merely shoving the QB to the ground as he released the ball. The Dolphins scored a TD moments later to take a 13-7 halftime lead. The questionable call prompted Parsons to explode on the refs.
If lesser-named defensive linemen can draw holding penalties, why can't the world's best pass rusher do so? No player is too good to be the exception of the rule. And yet, that's how Parsons is treated every week. His reaction won't help his case, but his frustration is absolutely justified.
The NFL might just have it out for the Cowboys superstar.