Skip to main content
Join

Michael Irvin explains what Micah Parsons needs to do to surpass Lawrence Taylor

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•09/28/23•

suzhalliburton

micah parsons
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bill Belichick first linked Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons with the legendary Lawrence Taylor. The Patriots coach worked with LT in the early 1980s when they both were with the Giants.

Naturally, reporters asked Belichick more about this Parsons-Taylor comparison. After all, the Patriots play the Cowboys this week. It’s an obvious query. Then Belichick kind of scoffed at the idea.

Enter Michael Irvin, the Cowboy great whose career overlapped with Taylor’s. Irvin gave his thoughts on Parsons, LT and Belichick during Thursday’s edition of Undisputed. And Irvin thinks Parsons belongs in the conversation with Taylor. But there’s one big caveat. Before anyone starts talking up Micah Parsons, he needs to hoist a Lombardi Trophy.

Michael Irvin says Micah Parsons can’t be LT unless he wins a title

Let Irvin explain.

“There are certain people in this league … that we put up on even a different pedestal,” Irvin said. “LT is one of them. I’ve been in that room many times, in the Hall of Fame room. Jim Brown walks in that room. Everybody looks up like this. LT walks in that room. Everybody looks up like this. It’s a whole different level of dude.

“Just having him compared by Bill Belichick, one of the greatest to ever do it, who saw up close this dude and L T. To see up close, this dude and Micah Parsons. A lot of times Bill Belichick says a lot of things that I think are just fodder and he’s just putting it out there, But he’s not messing around with this, He’s dead serious.”

Irvin continued making his case for the pros and cons of comparing Micah Parsons to Lawrence Taylor.

“It’s crazy. Both of them are about 6-3. about 240 to 245 pounds. And they both wreak havoc. Now even Bill Belichick talked about it. You can move Micah Parsons around a lot. You can move him around a lot to create those mismatches. He said it’s hard to put anybody on the same level as LT.

“And I love us talking about it. I say the comparisons are fair. But I say this to all. If you got to an organization, when you got to that organization, there were championships on the table, then your job is to put championships on the table. LT put two on the table. I don’t mind us comparing Micah Parson, but I have to ask him the question. Put your championship on the table before we put you up with the LT.”

And boom. That’s how you close an argument.

Michael Irvin says before anyone can compare Micah Parsons to Lawrence Taylor, the Cowboys linebacker needs to lead his team to a championship. Taylor is seen here with Bill Parcells, celebrating the anniversary of the Giants winning it all. (Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

Cowboys hope Parsons will be chasing Mac Jones all afternoon

There’s no doubt Micah Parsons has enjoyed an incredible start to the season (and his career). He’s notched four sacks and five tackles for loss through three games. He’s registered eight quarterback hurries, while forcing and recovering a fumble. The Cowboys will need him to do the same with Mac Jones and the Patriots to get rid of the sour taste of losing to the Cardinals, 28-16.

But it’s probably too soon to put Parsons in a conversation with Taylor, who probably was the most dominant defender in NFL history. The Giants retired his No. 56 for a reason. It’s folly to even think about living up to it. However, it’s fun to chat about, even if it’s so much Belichick fodder before a big game.