Cowboys star Micah Parsons called for the NFL to revisit its low block rule following Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux’s knee injury in a preseason game Sunday night.
The second-year linebacker took exception with a block made by Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss during the contest that led to the defensive end’s exit in the second quarter. Thibodeaux, the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, was later diagnosed with a sprained MCL that is expected to sideline him for up to four weeks.
Parsons, the reigning defensive rookie of the year, passionately expressed his thoughts on the play on Twitter.
“I don’t why cutting is still allowed in the NFL!! We grown a-- f------ men! Let’s play ball bro! I hate to see that s--- man!”
While Parsons clearly believes the block and others like it should be completely illegal, his sentiment may not be shared by other notable figures, namely Giants coach Brian Daboll. After news of Thibodeaux’s diagnosis became public, Daboll told reporters he felt the play was within the rules after being asked if he felt Moss’ block was dirty.
“Well that’s the rules,” Daboll said. “You know, if they can … if they allow it, you know we do it as well with tight ends and fullbacks going back to the line of scrimmage, so we gotta do a good job playing it. It’s a tough block, but whatever the rules are, those are the rules.”
The NFL’s low block rule has been the subject of debate for decades, and recently underwent a few changes in the past year. Last May, the league expanded the prohibition against blocking below the waist to include blocks made by “offensive and defensive players on scrimmage downs when contact occurs beyond five yards on either side of the line of scrimmage and more than two yards outside of either offensive tackle.”
