At this stage in the 2022 NFL season, it seems abundantly clear that the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are the two best teams in the NFC. While it seems like a stretch Dallas actually catches Philadelphia for the NFC East title, a potential playoff battle between the two may be the de facto NFC Championship Game.
With a massive Eagles-Cowboys game on the docket for Christmas weekend, Dallas star pass rusher Micah Parsons may have just given Philadelphia some bulletin-board material.
In an appearance on Bleacher Report’s “The VonCast,” Parsons and the Buffalo Bills’ Von Miller discussed why the East-leading Eagles have been so successful this season. It came to a point where Parsons weighed in on Hurts’ chances for his first career MVP award.
While he tried to dress his answer up and backtrack with some qualifiers about he knows the game as a professional football player — it seemed pretty clear Parsons took a shot at Hurts as a quarterback:
.@MicahhParsons11 weighs in on the Jalen Hurts MVP buzz 👀
(via The Voncast) pic.twitter.com/mZj9bpMSOb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022
Look, any time you ask whether it’s the QB or the team rhetorically in a question about whether that QB deserves MVP consideration, there’s no walking that back about your understanding of football. You’ve opened Pandora’s Box. Based on his answer and word-salad explanation, it appears obvious that Parsons thinks Hurts is a product of playing with the NFL’s arguably best roster.
And to that, I say: Isn’t every good quarterback a product of the team around them? I would challenge Parsons — a prime Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season — to actually think about how many QBs have succeeded with minimal support around them:
- Is Patrick Mahomes the best player in the sport if he’s not coached by Andy Reid while throwing to Travis Kelce from behind a great offensive line?
- Does Tua Tagovailoa have a resurgent breakout season if his coach isn’t the ingenious Mike McDaniel and his receivers aren’t Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle?
- Do any bona fide Hall of Fame quarterbacks — like, say, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady (in the future), and Drew Brees (in the future) — become Hall of Famers if they don’t have impeccable situations with their respective teams?
The answer to each of these questions is unequivocal: No.
A great quarterback is as much a product of the talent and coaching around them as their own individual abilities. If they’re not in a situation that can maximize their gifts, then they’re never in the conversation for Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and MVPs in the first place. Parsons can detract from Hurts’ individual success all he wants, but that fact will not change.
Alas, Parsons is obviously free to say what he pleases in public. Admittedly, I probably wouldn’t have questioned the MVP merits of a rival QB from a team I’d potentially have to play two more times in a season, including the playoffs. If that QB and that team were also in my possible way of a Super Bowl, I’d perhaps just let my game do the talking.
Thanks to Parsons, I have a feeling the Eagles and Cowboys’ rivalry just got a lot juicier. The suspense of their pending battle(s) is terrible. I hope it lasts.
NFL fans were also convinced Parsons took a shot at Jalen Hurts as a QB
Micah you just fired up this team and I thank you for that my guy 😉 https://t.co/w6yaGkNRUy pic.twitter.com/7u5cZ0fB4z
— The Giovanni Show Podcast (@GioThePodcaster) December 14, 2022
I don’t know why people are upset by this. This is perfect. This will get back to Jalen, who is already dialed in…and give him extra motivation to do what he does best and prove the doubters wrong. I’m going to send him a xmas card and thank him for the bulletin board material. https://t.co/HB7suAKhXh
— EROCK (@EROCK_Eagles) December 14, 2022
Who was the last MVP to win the award who wasn’t on a good team?🤔
Somebody let me know… https://t.co/dtkZ3GKzcZ— Sadiddy (@luv_poet) December 14, 2022
I seriously don’t think this will age well… https://t.co/VLQC3Kci71
— 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗦𓅓 (@_RetroDavis) December 14, 2022
Such a lazy take. So when Mahomes was mvp with the best tight end of all time and one of the best receivers of all time should how great he was not have mattered ? https://t.co/AEmeYPgime
— Tommy (@tommyob95) December 14, 2022
I don’t even understand how he arrives at this thought process. Like what about his experience with Jalen Hurts on the field this season led him to this conclusion that Hurts can’t play and it’s just the system? He’s executing the system masterfully and that’s why they’re winning https://t.co/fRWZ5k9eeV
— aka Matt Price (@CashWalken) December 14, 2022
THIS is how you know you're renting space in someone else's head. You're talking about us, we're not talking about you.https://t.co/99kV5HNTHD
— Pro Fan Talk (@coach_markus06) December 14, 2022
This surely won’t blow up in his face https://t.co/LFDfDJiRWZ
— Jerseybird (@JerseyBird3) December 14, 2022
