For Micah Parsons’ first three seasons, Dan Quinn was his defensive coordinator with the Cowboys.
Parsons was a first-team All-Pro for two of those seasons, also winning AP defensive rookie of the year. He was No. 2 and No. 3 in defensive player of the year voting in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
So even though he’s now the Commanders’ head coach, Quinn knows Parsons well. When Quinn was asked how to combat someone like Parsons in a Tuesday press conference, Quinn asked, “Are you asking you what would I do if I were coaching him?”
“Sure,” the reporter replied.
“Yeah, I’d sit him this week on a short week,” Quinn joked.
Really, though, Quinn noted that limiting Parsons’ production starts with making sure the team knows where he is before every snap.
“[I]f you have a vulnerability in a spot, you want to make sure you can fortify that to his strengths,” Quinn said. “You don’t just leave it to chance and see what happens, you want to make sure there’s a plan to go into it.
“So, for teams like Green Bay, they’ve got a number of good players,” Quinn added. “And that makes it also more challenging when this one, and this one, and that one over there [are all good]. So when there’s just one player to stop, and [you] say, this is what we want to do — that’s easier than when there’s multiple people in different locations. So, in my experience, the best teams have a number of players that were high-level hitters, and now this one gets too much attention, you leave this one open — he’s going to shoot the three and make you pay. And you want to have a balance in how you do things to make sure that one player doesn’t get too much attention, but also enough that they don’t wreck the game.”
Parsons played only 45 percent of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in Week 1, but still was able to pressure Lions quarterback Jared Goff and pick up a sack.
We’ll see if the Packers raise Parsons’ playing time and how effective he is against his old coach on Thursday night.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared on Monday’s injury report with a right wrist issue, but there’s no concern about his availability for Thursday’s game against the Packers.
Head coach Dan Quinn said at his Tuesday press conference that the team has “zero concerns” about Daniels’ health. Quinn explained that listing Daniels as a full participant on the estimated practice report was simply about transparency, and that the rookie is on track to play without restrictions.
Daniels played every snap in the Week 1 win over the Giants, going 19-of-30 for 233 yards and a touchdown while adding 68 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Punter Tress Way (back) was the only player listed as a non-participant Monday, and Quinn said the hope is that he’ll be able to do some work on Tuesday.
The Packers released their first injury report of the week on Monday and it shows that three key offensive players were listed as out ahead of their Thursday game against the Commanders.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot), right tackle Zach Tom (oblique), and left guard Aaron Banks (ankle, groin) make up that group. The Packers didn’t actually practice on Monday, so the participation levels are estimations.
Reed had three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown on 18 snaps in the win over the Lions. Tom played 30 snaps while Banks was on the field for 43 of the 48 offensive plays.
Defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr. (groin) and cornerback Bo Melton (shoulder) were also listed as out of practice. Safety Zayne Anderson (knee), wide receiver Matthew Golden (ankle), cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee), defensive end Micah Parsons (back), defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell (knee), and wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (calf) were listed as limited.
Quarterback Jordan Love (left thumb) and punter Daniel Whelan (right knee) would have been full participants in practice for Green Bay.
The Commanders added quarterback Jayden Daniels to their injury report Monday. They list Daniels with a right wrist injury.
The Commanders didn’t practice, but they estimate Daniels would have been a full participant.
Daniels played all 70 snaps on Sunday and showed no sign of injury. He went 19-of-30 for 233 yards and a touchdown and ran for 68 yards on 11 carries in the 21-6 win over the Giants.
Punter Tress Way (back) was estimated as a non-participant, and wide receiver Noah Brown (knee) and running back Austin Ekeler (shoulder) were listed as limited.
Tight end John Bates (shoulder), defensive tackle Daron Payne (calf) and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (knee) were full participants.
The Commanders play the Packers on Thursday Night Football.
The Giants continue to muzzle their first-round quarterback, Jaxson Dart.
After Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Commanders, Dart was willing to speak to reporters, as reported by Darryl Slater of NJ.com. However, the Giants kept Dart from speaking.
All players are required to be available after every game, and once during the week. The Giants consistently have declined to make Dart or quarterback Jameis Winston available.
The Giants reportedly had a package of plays for Dart. He and receiver Jalin Hyatt were the only two active Giants who did not play at all on Sunday.
We’ve asked the league for comment regarding the Giants’ refusal to let Dart and Winston comment. The media rules are clear.
Usually, problems arise when players don’t want to cooperate. In this case, it’s the team that is keeping the players from complying.
