Micah Parsons Looks to Relive Penn State Days by Showcasing His Return Abilities, Bolstering Roger Goodell’s Emphasis on Special Teams

There is more than what meets the eye when it comes to 3x Pro Bowler Micah Parsons. Amid the new kickoff rule changes, Parsons wants to bring out a side of him that the NFL hasn’t seen yet. He had been on the kickoff coverage team for Penn State during his college days but didn’t return any kicks, per se. Now with the new rules coming in, the LB might just get the chance to cash in on that opportunity.

Yet, while new opportunities emerge, Roger Goodell’s introduction of these new rules also has left John Fassel and a couple of other special teams coaches with mixed reactions. But Parsons seems optimistic in the middle of all of it and had a request for the Cowboys‘ special teams coach John Fassel. Though Parsons being a kick returner seems like an interesting idea to the coach, there seem to be other problems at hand.

Accommodating Micah Parsons is not in Fassel’s hands!

John Fassel came to the Ross Tucker Podcast and spoke about the Cowboys’ special team’s side of things. The video caught Dov Kleiman’s attention when he posted it on X saying, “6”3 245 Pound LB Micah Parsons has lobbied to be the #Cowboys’ kickoff returner.” Fassel admitted that the All-American was interested in being a kickoff returner in the coming season.

“So, he has lobbied me in the past to just be the primary kickoff returner,” said Fassel and further added, “I’m like, Micah, that’s the question you got to go a little further up than me on that one. But would I love to see him back there? Absolutely, because he would be fantastic.”

“He would catch it and he’d run wild, and he’d probably get incredible yards. But that ain’t going to happen. I’m aware of that,” appeared to be Fassel’s perspective at the same time.

Speaking about the new kickoff rule, while the change has garnered backlash from many, it has been done with the hope of minimizing injuries, saving special teams plays, and making the sport more exciting for the fans.

Roger Goodell changing the tides of the NFL

The NFL is now set to adopt an XFL-style hybrid kickoff which will result in more returns and action. At the same time. the new rules aim to increase the safety of the players because kick returns cause major collisions in the game. Per an article from Daily News, it was pointed out that this was Goodell’s way of making the game more exciting while reducing touchbacks.

“Roger didn’t like the touchbacks,” a coach said, adding, “It makes the product look bad.” In the last season, we saw only 22% of kicks were returned and there were 1,970 touchbacks and 92 fair catches.

“The kicker will kick the ball off from the opposite 35, but he will be incentivized to keep the kick in play: Touchbacks will give the offense the ball to start its drive on the 30-yard line now, and any kick that lands short of the 20 will be automatically spotted at the 40,” revealed the article.

“The kickoff returner value is gonna skyrocket because of the amount of times that guy’s gonna have his hands on the ball,” Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel said. Keeping all of this information in mind, it would be exciting to see whether the new rules actually decrease the chances of injuries in conjunction with the ban on hip drop tackle. What do you think about the chances in place? Let us know your thoughts below!