Matt LaFleur calls Micah Parsons a 'game-wrecker'
Micah Parsons burst onto the NFL scene last year as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys and is cementing himself as one of the league’s premier defensive stars. He’s tough to game plan against, and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur knows that.
Ahead of the Packers’ matchup against Parsons and the Cowboys, LaFleur had some high praise for the former Penn State star. He talked about how Parsons can impact the game before crediting Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — his former boss — for using him effectively.
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“I worked for Dan Quinn. I’ve got as much respect for anybody in this game as I do for Dan,” LaFleur said. “Dan, he is such a humble person, great person. He was awesome to work for and I think he’s got a great football mind. The way he moves Micah all over the field and don’t know where he’s going to be. They could just line up in a variety of different ways and it presents a lot of challenges in terms of what you’re asking your players to do.
“He’s a game-wrecker, especially if you let him. The thing is he’s not the only one. They platoon their d-line. Those guys do such a great job of playing with unbelievable energy and effort and you can truly see their playing style on tape. You’ve got to give Dan a lot of credit. In terms of the style of defense that he’s playing right now, that’s not what it was in Atlanta, that’s not what it was in Seattle. He’s evolved. I give him a ton of credit for probably getting outside of his comfort zone.
Matt LaFleur: The Cowboys defense presents a ‘great challenge’
Even outside of Parsons, the Dallas defense creates plenty of headaches for opposing offenses. Trevon Diggs led the league in interceptions last year and other playmakers are emerging under Quinn’s watch.
LaFleur knows Sunday won’t be easy for his struggling offense.
“It’s a highly disruptive defense, a very physical defense,” LaFleur said. “They do a great job of taking the ball away. They’ve got guys with tremendous ball skills on the back end. Obviously, everybody knows about Diggs and his ability to go get the football. But it’s not just him. It’s all the guys. I think they all feed off one another. You can truly see the DBs play a certain style because they know that there’s a good chance that they’re going to get home with the pass rush.
“It is going to be a great challenge. We’ve played some other great defenses this year, and I’d put these guys up with anybody.”