Cockroach Mentality
September 8th, 2022
Dallas LB Micah Parsons.
In the eyes of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady (it’s his third year with the Bucs and Joe is just now getting used to it), all of us, including NFL opponents, are nothing more than cockroaches that need to be stomped on.
So who is saying such a thing? That would be Cowboys Swiss Army knife Micah Parsons, perhaps the best defender Joe has seen come into the league and dominate right away in a long, long time.
Parsons can play edge, he can play linebacker, he can play safety, and he will tear you up wherever he plays. This guy might be the next Lawrence Taylor the way he is all over the field.
The fact he’s already this good in his second season frightens Joe. That’s right, Parsons is a one-man wrecking crew and Joe believes he could bring down the Bucs’ offense Sunday night by himself. (If Dan Quinn doesn’t find ways to get Parsons against Robert Hainsey and/or Luke Goedeke, Jerry Jones should force Quinn to clean out the bathrooms at Lockhart Smokehouse.)
So Joe was interested in what Parsons had to say about Brady and Clarence E. Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram delivered the quotes.
“He has that fire inside of him,” Parsons said of Brady. “He looks to kill you. He wants to step on your throat like you’re a roach.
“And that’s what you look for in competitors. I think that’s why, if you’re a real competitor, you look up to like Tom Brady. You look up to Kobe, that Mamba mentality. You look up to Michael Jordan.
“You love those types of mentalities. People love Mike Tyson because of how fierce he was. You look up to that because you aspire to be that fierce or be that strong. He inspires me.”
And if that doesn’t give you an idea how fired up Parsons is to come after Brady, consider the following: Parsons believes the only way to slow Brady down is to punish him.
“Tom may have a Kryptonite, he may not,” Parsons said. “But he definitely gets beat up, but he gets back up. I think a lot of people in this league are superheroes because as long as you get back up and keep going during the fight, you’re a superhero.”
Joe is convinced the Bucs will be a better team as the season grows older. Part of that is because Chris Godwin will return. But a big part of that is that Goedeke and Hainsey will have more and more snaps under their belts.
How Goedeke and Hainsey hold up against Parsons — Joe strongly believes that’s where the Cowboys will target pass rush lanes for Parsons to expose — will tell a lot about the young Bucs interior linemen.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:06 am
A lot of questions will be answered Sunday, about our team.
We have an offensive line with a center who has never played center before, a lineman Bill Belichick let go, and a rookie guard.
If they hold up, we will go a long way this year.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:10 am
He mixes his metaphors. Do you really step on a roach’s throat?
September 8th, 2022 at 11:10 am
Wow. Very impressive. Devin needs to watch film of this guy and read the interview. Devin is supposed to have the potential that Parsons is already putting into production. No doubt Tom will be accounting for Parsons on every play.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:12 am
This quote of Micah Parsons just gave me chills… You hardly ever see a guy this young with this type of humbleness. I mean there’s no one out there that would argue with Joe about him being the most dominate defensive player in a long time. I’m sure he was being hyped up all of his life and to get to the biggest stage and still be humble says a lot about his upbringing and his maturity level. I hate the cowboys but I love Micah except for on Sunday Night
September 8th, 2022 at 11:13 am
It’s the 1st regular season game of a schedule where preseason is drastically different than it had been before. I.e. none of the starters play a full or even half game together in the preseason.
The 1st game may give us a clue to the team. But more likely than not, it is just a blip on a long season for either team. How they are playing at the end of the year will really matter.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:15 am
Goatfarmer Says:
September 8th, 2022 at 11:10 am
Wow. Very impressive. Devin needs to watch film of this guy and read the interview. Devin is supposed to have the potential that Parsons is already putting into production. No doubt Tom will be accounting for Parsons on every play
I agree to an extent, simply because Devin isn’t the same type of player Micah is coming off the edge. I do agree he needs to watch his film and interview
September 8th, 2022 at 11:18 am
Lenny is going to be key as he is going to have to help out the young guys inside and pick up those rushes to keep Brady clean.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:25 am
While he is capable of defending the pass, stopping the run, and getting after the quarterback, he cannot do them all at once. Brady will keep him guessing. Parsons is a unique talent, but I dont think he has enough experience under his belt to play chess with the GOAT.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:32 am
Put Vita Vea in as FB and hope he can get in Parson’s way.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:32 am
If anyone’s stepped on a roach, they know how difficult it is to kill them……you can’t just step on it….you must smash it to where the guts are squeezing out it’s sides….and even then you’ll notice it’s little legs still moving….
And, then you flush it but wondering all along if it will come back to life.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:33 am
Finally, someone putting some respect on the GOAT’s name.
Cowgirls are still gonna take the L, but at least you’re hearing something
from somebody (ANYBODY!) that respects TB #12
September 8th, 2022 at 11:55 am
Parsons reminds of a young Lawerance Taylor. Scary dude!
September 8th, 2022 at 12:05 pm
This whole offensive line situation for The Bucs defies common sense . The team is totally exposed in the middle and human wrecking balls like Parsons are going to exploit this.
Would not be surprised to see Brady knocked out of the game early.
Licht needs to be replaced . Anyone in a GM position that would put The GOAT at risk like this is grossly negligent in their duties .
September 8th, 2022 at 12:08 pm
Devin White got a SB and was major Difference maker year 1 and was the last man standing on a playoff team year 2
MP did nothing to help his team win in the playoff’s year 1.
Let’s be clear here. If MP is on a team like the Bucs (without Brady). No one would notice him. Just like LVD.
This guy maybe humble but he will be eating humble pie Sunday night. Aint that what roaches do?
September 8th, 2022 at 12:19 pm
@George,
give us your before and after opinion of the 2020 O-Line. Remember to not allow what you know now about them influence your before taking.
Let me help.
in 2020 you had 2 division 3 guys starting at guard. 1 was a second-year rookie Cappa and the other was not yet established enough to qualify as a reliable veteran Ali.
Your two tackles were a highly drafted rookie in TW at right tackle and a shaky at best left tackle in Smith. Note, Tristan was considered the least of the four best OL available.
At center. You had a highly paid vet that was penalty prone in Ryan.
Fast forward to this year.
We have replaced the two Division 3 guys with 2 highly drafted Division 1 guys in second year RH and rookie LG. At in a stable veteran that Brady trust with S Mason.
UNFORTUNATLY, are NOW beast of a center went down. BUT by all accounts, will return later the season.
PEOPLE. Please do us all a favor and stop projecting doom in gloom when in reality your just puddie cats.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Win, lose or draw, Hainsey and Goedeke and for that matter anyone on the offense whose job it is to protect Brady better keep him from taking a beating. I don’t care if they have to hold every play to keep him from getting hit and we lose the game. It’s just one freaking game and we can still get to where we want to be even if we lose to Dallas. If Brady gets hurt and can’t play a number of games or is out for the season then our season is lost. Someone better tell all of the line what the big picture is. That is to protect Brady at all costs!
September 8th, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Cowboys are either starting a rookie or 40 year old Jason Peters that just signed yesterday at left tackle too.
I think Dak is going to have a longer night than Tom.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Puddle cats? LOL!
September 8th, 2022 at 1:30 pm
Crackwise- Thank you! I have been trying to show the D & G’ers that it’s not as bad as they think. The exact same thing was said about that SB offensive line prior to the opener.
I HATE the Cowboys! That’s all.
September 8th, 2022 at 5:48 pm
They said the same thing about the kid in Washington , I forget his name. The one who said he was going to be coming for Brady in the playoffs and the closest he got to Brady was a handshake after the Bucs beat them ! Brady and the Bucs will be ready
September 8th, 2022 at 6:26 pm
Micah is out for revenge because Brady made him look foolish on plays last year. He fooled Parsons with his eyes when he was in coverage, and gave him a little shoulder shrug when he almost had in on a pass rush. To the poster who tried to compare White and Parsons, you’re insane. Parsons is miles ahead of Devin White. Parsons is so good that he would still get hype on a pre-Brady TB team. The victim mentality and insecurity by some in our fan base is annoying. If LVD doesn’t get into the HOF, it’s not because he played on pre-Brady teams. Zach Thomas, who I believe should be in the HOF, is still waiting for his name to be called. Thomas played for those great 2000’s defenses that made Brady look like a high school QB.
The difference in 2020 with the line is Tom Brady. The linemen themselves said it!! Brady processes things so quickly and releases the ball so quickly that the linemen don’t have to hold their blocks as long. He also has a great internal clock and knows when to just throw the ball away and live to fight another day. He also never goes too far in his drops and that helps the tackles. OT hate when they don’t know where their QB is. That’s why some of them hate running QBs.
Finally, Brady has the greatest pocket movement and awareness ever outside of the great Dan Marino. It’s one of the reasons why he’s still the only pocket passer left in the NFL. He does these subtle movements in the pocket with his shoulders and feet that allow him to evade rushers.
September 8th, 2022 at 6:44 pm
We do have a OL that Bill did let go in Shaq we also have a QB Bill let go as well an we all know how that turned out, thanks again Bill