‘He said I could have done something’: Cowboys’ Parsons bewildered over roughing penalty

From @ToddBrock24f7: Micah Parsons had plenty to say about officiating after he was flagged for what he feels was a clean hit on Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa.

In Micah Parsons’s mind, he did all the right things, but it still wasn’t enough.

That could actually be the story of the Cowboys defense as a whole on Sunday. As a unit, they held the explosive Dolphins to just one play of over 22 yards. No Miami player rushed for more than 46 yards on the day. Dallas allowed just one touchdown to the league’s top scoring offense.

But it was the little things that doomed the Cowboys. Like five Jason Sanders field goals. And penalties- some big-ticket calls at key moments, some ignored calls that could have gone Dallas’s way, and one head-scratcher against Parsons that he couldn’t adequately explain afterward.

“I don’t know what a roughing the passer is anymore,” Parsons told reporters after the 22-20 loss on Sunday. “[The official] said I could have done something in some manner to avoid him.”

Parsons delivered a hard shot to the back of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa late in the second quarter that drew the flag. Already deep in Cowboys territory, the flag moved the Fins just five yards closer, and Miami scored on the next play to secure a halftime lead.

While the Dolphins’ lone touchdown could have just as easily come from the nine-yard-line as it did the four, the roughing call got into the head of Parsons, who’s been desperate the get officials’ attention on the numerous plays this season where he’s held by opposing linemen.

“I can’t get a call, but I get things called on me,” he said. “So obviously, they’re looking. They just don’t care what they call… as long as it’s just not with us.”

That last quip could earn Parsons a fine from the league, but the fact remains that he hasn’t drawn a penalty of any kind since Week 9’s win over the Chargers. That’s over two months where the most dominant pass rusher in the league hasn’t been held a single time? Cowboys fans watching the games know otherwise.

So does Parsons.

“It’s mind-blowing, the things that are getting called and the positions we get put in,” he said. “The thing is, we’ve just got to learn how to fight the adversity. A lot of it’s BS, and we’re like, ‘It’s just football plays,’ but it’s the world we live in. We’ve got the star on the helmet.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Parsons’s roughing penalty wasn’t a game-changer, as were some of the other flags called against Dallas on the day. But this one haunted the young pass rusher who prides himself on being able to beat anyone in the league without resorting to rule-breaking.

“I won so quick. How am I supposed to know he got the ball out? It’s within a second,” Parsons explained at his locker.

“He said my intent was to punish the quarterback. But how am I trying to punish him if I’m just trying to sack him? It’s not like it’s a late hit. It’s not like I’m leaving my feet. I didn’t lead with my head. I don’t know how you make that call.”

But they did. And Parsons believes they’ll continue to do so.

And that’s something he and his Cowboys teammates will simply have to overcome.

“At the end of the day,” he said, “we’ve just got to win these type of games.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hj5691bzrgdf8eeyam playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hj5691bzrgdf8eeyam/01hj5691bzrgdf8eeyam-cc2deb0eef0d8e5996f4a9a4a5d89c69.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]