Anyone who perused the tweets related to Sunday's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams may have noticed, among the typical banter, an echoed refrain of Cowboys fans commenting on the fact that star linebacker, Micah Parsons, was repeatedly subjected to what they believed to be egregious offensive holding. While the acts were obvious and penalty-deserving to many viewers, no flags were thrown by the officials.
On Monday afternoon, Parsons took to Twitter himself to amplify the complaints of his fans posting, “We won't call this but we'll call a roughing the passer lol! Can we focus in and protect defensive players?” along with a picture of himself reaching for Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford, but falling to his knees as another Rams player reaches over Parsons' shoulder and across his chest grabbing a fistful of Parsons' jersey.
https://twitter.com/MicahhParsons11/status/1579533584846966784?s=20&t=Yc9Zbhl619Qwc99k0jAnSQ
While Micah's tweet brought things to a head on Monday, instances of Micah allegedly being held by offensive linemen have been a topic of fan complaints every week during the regular season.
I would run out of time https://t.co/Gw5NxetK9A
— BossCowboySports (@BossCowboySport) October 10, 2022
These complaints of missed holding calls currently act as a bit of fuel for the growing fire of NFL players, analysts, commentators, and fans who are dissatisfied with the ways games are being called, especially during Week 5.
A roughing the passer penalty called against Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett after he sacked Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has been a topic of conversation and controversy this week. The legitimacy of the call was on the minds of everyone who tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders Monday night — including Micah Parsons. Parsons, who seems to enjoy watching football almost as much as he enjoys playing, posted more tweets about the officiating during the Chiefs-Raiders game than about the actual events of the game.
The nfl is terrible!!! Change the rules or just make the league 7 on 7!!
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 11, 2022
How can we play football with this shit!! Nfl speak up!!!
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 11, 2022
Lol i told you!! They are blind to holds lol! These gane changing calls man! It's sucks!!
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 11, 2022
Even though concern over holding calls puts Micah Parsons in the minority compared to those who would like to see a change in the way roughing the passer calls are being made, for someone like Parsons whose legacy is being built on the foundation of sacks, pressures, and quarterback hits, both issues are bound to come into play sooner or later.
As for his claim that refs are blind to holds — he may not be entirely wrong. While defensive and offensive holds are defined in very similar terms, the 2022 NFL Rulebook lists 11 situations in which offensive holding is not to be called. Included among those reasons are:
- if the action is part of a double-team block, unless the defender splits the double team, gets to the outside of either blocker, or is taken to the ground
- if, during a defensive charge, a defensive player uses a “rip” technique that puts an offensive player in a position that would normally be holding
- if the official has not seen the entire action that sends a defender to the ground
It is not uncommon for Micah Parsons to be double-teamed, and the rip (or dip and rip) is a move used by many defensive players to get past offensive linemen. Parsons' adeptness at this particular move has been cited by several writers and analysts as a major contributor to his elusiveness.
As for how the dissatisfaction with officiating may affect Parsons come game time, fans of his know that things like this are a non-issue. Micah Parsons is known for infusing his interviews with messages of personal accountability, self-development, and a focus on “controlling the controllables.” No one should expect his frustrations to throw him off of his game.
