The level of holding that offensive linemen consistently get away with has become a consistent source of frustration for the Green Bay Packers since adding Micah Parsons. The electric pass rusher has a rare blend of speed and power that makes legally blocking the edge rusher close to impossible. It leads to consistent penalties that officials often miss or overlook. Either way, Parsons is predictably taking his grievances and airing them out in hopes of getting more calls. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman reported Parsons' full comments:
"Five years of not getting a call, you eventually stop worrying about it. They don’t call offsides for offense, but they’ll call it on defense. They won’t call offensive pass interference, but they’ll call defensive pass interference immediately. We know what they’re trying to do. They wanna load the points up so fans can be happy. They’ll call defensive holding, but they won’t call offensive holding. Let’s just wake up."Micah Parsons
Parsons isn't sparing any feelings, suggesting that the league has a tendency to focus its calls defensively due to a fan preference for higher-scoring games. It is an interesting ploy from the edge rusher in an attempt to get more calls. It is straight out of the NBA playbook, with star players and coaches often working officials through the media ahead of key matchups. This is exactly what Parsons is doing, hoping for better results.
Parsons' Statement Puts Pressure on Officials
It is such a bold statement that it is sure to catch the attention of the league and its officials heading into Week 7. There is reason to wonder if this could finally prove to be the missing piece that earns Parsons much-needed calls. It isn't as if this is a delusional star player complaining about phantom holds. Each and every week, Green Bay fans have had a front row seat to just how often this is happening for the defender.
The bend and speed of Parsons makes him an incredibly difficult matchup that creates panic for the opposing tackles. Often, this results in holds that simply aren't called based on how often they are happening. It is almost as if the officials have a different rulebook for Parsons, understanding the impossible task an offensive lineman has blocking the pass rusher.
Of course, Parsons isn't the only elite pass-rusher who feels this way. And speaking out about it doesn't always go well. Myles Garrett was slapped with a $25,000 fine back in 2023 for saying that "someone has to hold [the referees] accountable."
Interestingly, the first game after that fine saw Garrett rack up 11 pressures, per PFF. That was a new career-high. That's not to say there was a direct connection between the comments and the pressures, but it also doesn't seem outlandish to suggest the referees were watching the linemen a little more carefully after the public comments, and having the o-line kept honest helped Garrett feast.
So while these comments might just sound like complaining to some, there is room to believe this could have a positive impact for Parsons and the way the Packers' next game is officiated.