In the wide world of sports, everyone is always searching for the “next”. Could Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen’s rivalry be the next Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning? Could a similar rivalry between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe be the next Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo? Could Victor Wenbanyama be the next Kevin Durant-- but taller and even better?
We as fans seldom appreciate the greats in the latter parts of their career as much as we should; just look at how LeBron James has more than worn out his welcome in the minds of most NBA fans, for instance. Instead, we savor witnessing their downfall paving the way for the next generation of heroes, like a phoenix erupting into flames so that another can be born from its ashes.
Sometimes, though, we have no choice but to sit and marvel at both the elder statesmen and their bright-eyed successors-to-be when they’re both just playing so damn well. Think of that 1998 All Star Game battle between Michael Jordan and a young Kobe Bryant, or the five-set match between Pete Sampras and a then-19-year-old Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2001. It can be difficult, and perhaps even against our nature, but sometimes it is necessary to appreciate both the old guard and the newcomers to fully be a fan of the sport.
We as fans seldom appreciate the greats in the latter parts of their career as much as we should; just look at how LeBron James has more than worn out his welcome in the minds of most NBA fans, for instance. Instead, we savor witnessing their downfall paving the way for the next generation of heroes, like a phoenix erupting into flames so that another can be born from its ashes.
Sometimes, though, we have no choice but to sit and marvel at both the elder statesmen and their bright-eyed successors-to-be when they’re both just playing so damn well. Think of that 1998 All Star Game battle between Michael Jordan and a young Kobe Bryant, or the five-set match between Pete Sampras and a then-19-year-old Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2001. It can be difficult, and perhaps even against our nature, but sometimes it is necessary to appreciate both the old guard and the newcomers to fully be a fan of the sport.
It may not be a true like-for-like comparison to the MJ/Kobe or Sampras/Federer bouts as the two can never truly play against each other (much less in a one-on-one fashion), but what both Von Miller and Micah Parsons are doing as pass rushers this season -- as well as some of their uncanny similarities -- cannot be ignored.
At his prime, Miller sometimes could be in the backfield quicker than quarterbacks could even properly assess their first read. His pure athleticism would be in the S-tier of pass rushers all-time; add in his intelligence, impeccable technique, and attention to detail, and these are the kinds of plays you get as a result. From his rookie year in 2011 to 2019, which was right before he lost a full season to a nasty ankle injury that once threatened to derail his career, Miller’s production was absurd. He averaged nearly 12 sacks per season in that span, and only logged sack totals under 10 twice (one of those times being his 2013 season where he missed seven games, and the other being in 2019). He won Defensive Rookie of the Year with an 11.5-sack effort in 2011 and was an All-Pro in every season except the aforementioned 2013 and 2019 years-- the latter of which still saw him earn a Pro Bowl nod. He’s also twice been a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, but the real jewel-in-the-crown that is his illustrious career is his superhuman effort in the Broncos’ 2015 title season.
Von Miller’s efforts helped Denver beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship. Photo from: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
Peyton Manning was Denver’s quarterback in 2015 but, let’s face it, he was washed-up at that point. The Broncos were a team powered by their defense, and while they boasted talent at all three levels their best player was unquestionably Miller. He made the All-Pro First Team and had the most valuable season of his career, according to Pro-Football-Focus’ Approximate Value metric, but Miller saved the best football of his life for the playoffs. Facing a three-game gauntlet of Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers, Tom Brady’s Patriots, and Cam Newton’s Panthers in Newton’s great MVP season, Miller delivered-- particularly in the latter two games.
Following a relatively tame performance in their Divisional Round game against Pittsburgh, Miller put on one of the most spectacular games by a defensive player -- and by an individual player in general -- we’ve ever seen against New England.
Miller got the best of Brady in that AFC Championship Game, logging 2.5 sacks -- a Broncos single-game playoff franchise record -- and four total QB hits to go along with five total tackles. He also dropped into coverage a season-high nine times and even got a key interception on Brady. Bill Belichick, a coach long known for finding creative ways to neutralize his opponent’s best player, had no answers for Von Miller. In Super Bowl 50, Miller stuffed the stat sheet once again, recording 2.5 more sacks, six total tackles, a pass defensed, and forced two fumbles en route to a Lombardi Trophy. For his heroics, Miller was selected as the Super Bowl MVP, becoming just the fourth defensive player to accomplish that feat in the 21st century.
Given his slight decline in performance in 2019, his freak preseason ankle injury that robbed him of the entire 2020 season, and another ankle injury in the middle of last season amidst swirling trade rumors, some wondered if Miller’s best years were well and truly behind him. They were wrong. Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams mid-season for just second-and-third-round draft picks, and all he did was help power the team to their first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season. He notched five sacks in eight regular season games for the Rams, and once again saved his best stuff for January. He racked up four more sacks in LA’s playoff run, including two sacks on Joe Burrow in the Super Bowl which made him just the second player ever with multiple multi-sack Super Bowl games, and tied Charles Haley’s NFL record for career sacks in the Super Bowl with 4.5.
Following this apparent resurgence, Miller sought out a long-term contract perhaps to take him to the end of his career with lots of guaranteed money. This turned out to be a wise decision, as Buffalo signed him to a six-year, $120 million contract this past offseason. Many scoffed at the terms of the deal, doubting his ability to maintain elite play for that length, but inspecting the finer details shows that less than half of that salary figure is guaranteed, and the Bills have an easy out after three of those six years where they would eat just a $7.4 million dead cap figure by cutting Miller.
Von Miller signed a six-year deal with the Buffalo Bills this past offseason. Photo from: Reed Hoffman/Associated Press.
So far, though, Miller has crushed any lingering doubts still left on his current abilities. He’s already accrued six sacks through six games this season, and as always has put forth his best performances against his team’s toughest opponents. In the Bills’ season opener against the Rams, Miller sacked Matt Stafford twice, and most recently against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs put up his best game of the season. He sacked Mahomes twice, connecting on both of his blitz reps, but made a profound impact on the Chiefs’ offense on many more plays than just those. He constantly flushed Mahomes out of the pocket and harassed the young quarterback, most notably forcing an ill-advised pass for the game-sealing interception.
Von Miller’s heroics allowed him to once again recapture the spotlight as a premier pass rusher in the NFL. But he’s sharing the spotlight with someone else, because Micah Parsons -- who may very well be Miller’s true successor in this league -- has been producing at a near-unprecedented level in his young career so far.
Parsons and Miller are tied this season in both sacks and tackles for loss, but the similarities between the two extend much further than the stats they’ve recorded. Their measurables are scarily close as well; Miller is listed at 6’3”, 249 lbs while Parsons is listed as 6’3”, 245 lbs, and Miller has an arm length of 33.5 in. and a hand span of 9.25 in. while Parsons arm length and hand span are 31.5 in. and 11 in., respectively. Not only are their OLB/DE hybrid backgrounds similar, their key measurables line up pretty closely as well-- save for the fact that Parsons ran his 40-yard dash a full tenth of a second quicker than Miller did.
Above all else, it’s hard not to compare the two when you see what they do on the field. Watching this dip-and-rip move from Parsons last year where he was, in all likelihood, held and still got to the quarterback and logged a sack-fumble, if you had shown me that clip without me having my glasses on, I probably would’ve said, “that’s a great play from Von Miller!”:
Parsons has been so unbelievably good this season that he’s currently the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year by a wide margin. Most sportsbooks have Parsons at +100 to win the award with Myles Garrett having the second-favorite odds at +800 or worse. However, firmly in the hunt for that trophy is Miller, who’s ranked by betting sites such as this as having the fifth-best odds, tied with Aaron Donald and Rashan Gary, at +1800.
In truth, Von Miller could have retired a couple years ago and still likely would be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. From pretty much the moment he stepped foot in the NFL up until now, Miller has been a quarterback’s worst nightmare. His lanky and flexible, yet powerful frame made him one of those rare OLB/DE hybrids that could win with raw power or absurd speed, as shown in a rep below that he makes look far easier than it really is:
Von Miller sets the OL up with speed/alignment. He adds stress to the OL's footwork. @VonMiller with the cross chop right across the elbow joint. Great dip, bend & finish for the sack! pic.twitter.com/Y5to3C6xuo
— Coach Aaron Day (@dlinevids1) March 17, 2019
At his prime, Miller sometimes could be in the backfield quicker than quarterbacks could even properly assess their first read. His pure athleticism would be in the S-tier of pass rushers all-time; add in his intelligence, impeccable technique, and attention to detail, and these are the kinds of plays you get as a result. From his rookie year in 2011 to 2019, which was right before he lost a full season to a nasty ankle injury that once threatened to derail his career, Miller’s production was absurd. He averaged nearly 12 sacks per season in that span, and only logged sack totals under 10 twice (one of those times being his 2013 season where he missed seven games, and the other being in 2019). He won Defensive Rookie of the Year with an 11.5-sack effort in 2011 and was an All-Pro in every season except the aforementioned 2013 and 2019 years-- the latter of which still saw him earn a Pro Bowl nod. He’s also twice been a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, but the real jewel-in-the-crown that is his illustrious career is his superhuman effort in the Broncos’ 2015 title season.
Von Miller’s efforts helped Denver beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship. Photo from: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
Peyton Manning was Denver’s quarterback in 2015 but, let’s face it, he was washed-up at that point. The Broncos were a team powered by their defense, and while they boasted talent at all three levels their best player was unquestionably Miller. He made the All-Pro First Team and had the most valuable season of his career, according to Pro-Football-Focus’ Approximate Value metric, but Miller saved the best football of his life for the playoffs. Facing a three-game gauntlet of Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers, Tom Brady’s Patriots, and Cam Newton’s Panthers in Newton’s great MVP season, Miller delivered-- particularly in the latter two games.
Following a relatively tame performance in their Divisional Round game against Pittsburgh, Miller put on one of the most spectacular games by a defensive player -- and by an individual player in general -- we’ve ever seen against New England.
Miller got the best of Brady in that AFC Championship Game, logging 2.5 sacks -- a Broncos single-game playoff franchise record -- and four total QB hits to go along with five total tackles. He also dropped into coverage a season-high nine times and even got a key interception on Brady. Bill Belichick, a coach long known for finding creative ways to neutralize his opponent’s best player, had no answers for Von Miller. In Super Bowl 50, Miller stuffed the stat sheet once again, recording 2.5 more sacks, six total tackles, a pass defensed, and forced two fumbles en route to a Lombardi Trophy. For his heroics, Miller was selected as the Super Bowl MVP, becoming just the fourth defensive player to accomplish that feat in the 21st century.
Given his slight decline in performance in 2019, his freak preseason ankle injury that robbed him of the entire 2020 season, and another ankle injury in the middle of last season amidst swirling trade rumors, some wondered if Miller’s best years were well and truly behind him. They were wrong. Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams mid-season for just second-and-third-round draft picks, and all he did was help power the team to their first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season. He notched five sacks in eight regular season games for the Rams, and once again saved his best stuff for January. He racked up four more sacks in LA’s playoff run, including two sacks on Joe Burrow in the Super Bowl which made him just the second player ever with multiple multi-sack Super Bowl games, and tied Charles Haley’s NFL record for career sacks in the Super Bowl with 4.5.
Following this apparent resurgence, Miller sought out a long-term contract perhaps to take him to the end of his career with lots of guaranteed money. This turned out to be a wise decision, as Buffalo signed him to a six-year, $120 million contract this past offseason. Many scoffed at the terms of the deal, doubting his ability to maintain elite play for that length, but inspecting the finer details shows that less than half of that salary figure is guaranteed, and the Bills have an easy out after three of those six years where they would eat just a $7.4 million dead cap figure by cutting Miller.
Von Miller signed a six-year deal with the Buffalo Bills this past offseason. Photo from: Reed Hoffman/Associated Press.
So far, though, Miller has crushed any lingering doubts still left on his current abilities. He’s already accrued six sacks through six games this season, and as always has put forth his best performances against his team’s toughest opponents. In the Bills’ season opener against the Rams, Miller sacked Matt Stafford twice, and most recently against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs put up his best game of the season. He sacked Mahomes twice, connecting on both of his blitz reps, but made a profound impact on the Chiefs’ offense on many more plays than just those. He constantly flushed Mahomes out of the pocket and harassed the young quarterback, most notably forcing an ill-advised pass for the game-sealing interception.
Von Miller’s heroics allowed him to once again recapture the spotlight as a premier pass rusher in the NFL. But he’s sharing the spotlight with someone else, because Micah Parsons -- who may very well be Miller’s true successor in this league -- has been producing at a near-unprecedented level in his young career so far.
Ten years almost to the day after Von Miller was drafted by the Broncos, Micah Parsons was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL Draft. Parsons’ fall to the twelfth overall pick was somewhat surprising, as he had long been a candidate to be the first non-quarterback selected in the draft, but the pairing of Parsons with Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn -- best known as one of the architects of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense -- has so far been a match made in football heaven.
Parsons, like Miller, is an OLB/DE hybrid and an absolute freak athlete capable of lining up as a pass rusher in a two-point, three-point, or a four-point stance. Parsons, however, was listed as a linebacker all throughout his time with the Nittany Lions and has the coverage chops to show for it; Quinn on multiple occasions dropped Parsons into coverage in key situations, showing his trust in Parson’s instincts and play awareness. That trust paid off more often than not, as Parsons recorded a respectable PFF coverage grade of 70, and allowed just a 71.5 passer rating when targeted. Looking closer, it’s clear that his coverage skills improved dramatically after the Cowboys’ bye week last year, as Parsons allowed an average passer rating of just 56.3 after the bye.
Parsons’ legitimate skills as an out-and-out off-ball linebacker inherently limits what opposing offenses can do when he’s on the field, as they need to account for him disrupting the game in more ways than a normal pass rusher or outside linebacker could do. However, it quickly became clear that Parsons, like Miller, is just too darn good as a pure pass rusher to want to do anything else with him.
In his rookie season, Micah Parsons recorded a whopping 13 sacks, good for the third-best mark by a rookie ever, en route to a unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a First-Team All-Pro selection, and a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. For stretches during the season, there were serious talks of Parsons winning DPOY; for context, the only rookie ever to win the award is Lawrence Taylor.
Micah Parsons has quickly become one of the elite defenders in the NFL. Photo from: USA Today Sports.
So far in 2022, Parsons has been even better than in his rookie year. Through six games he already has six sacks, including three multi-sack games, to go along with 16 total quarterback pressures and eight total tackles for loss. Though the half-dozen sack total is impressive, it still doesn’t even do justice as to how dominant Parsons has been; he probably leads the league in uncalled holding penalties, too. If not for ridiculous no-calls such as these, that sack number might be even higher:
Parsons, like Miller, is an OLB/DE hybrid and an absolute freak athlete capable of lining up as a pass rusher in a two-point, three-point, or a four-point stance. Parsons, however, was listed as a linebacker all throughout his time with the Nittany Lions and has the coverage chops to show for it; Quinn on multiple occasions dropped Parsons into coverage in key situations, showing his trust in Parson’s instincts and play awareness. That trust paid off more often than not, as Parsons recorded a respectable PFF coverage grade of 70, and allowed just a 71.5 passer rating when targeted. Looking closer, it’s clear that his coverage skills improved dramatically after the Cowboys’ bye week last year, as Parsons allowed an average passer rating of just 56.3 after the bye.
Parsons’ legitimate skills as an out-and-out off-ball linebacker inherently limits what opposing offenses can do when he’s on the field, as they need to account for him disrupting the game in more ways than a normal pass rusher or outside linebacker could do. However, it quickly became clear that Parsons, like Miller, is just too darn good as a pure pass rusher to want to do anything else with him.
In his rookie season, Micah Parsons recorded a whopping 13 sacks, good for the third-best mark by a rookie ever, en route to a unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a First-Team All-Pro selection, and a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. For stretches during the season, there were serious talks of Parsons winning DPOY; for context, the only rookie ever to win the award is Lawrence Taylor.
Micah Parsons has quickly become one of the elite defenders in the NFL. Photo from: USA Today Sports.
So far in 2022, Parsons has been even better than in his rookie year. Through six games he already has six sacks, including three multi-sack games, to go along with 16 total quarterback pressures and eight total tackles for loss. Though the half-dozen sack total is impressive, it still doesn’t even do justice as to how dominant Parsons has been; he probably leads the league in uncalled holding penalties, too. If not for ridiculous no-calls such as these, that sack number might be even higher:
We won’t call this but we’ll call a roughing the passer lol! Can we focus in and protect defensive players ? pic.twitter.com/7i1I62yoZZ
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 10, 2022
Parsons and Miller are tied this season in both sacks and tackles for loss, but the similarities between the two extend much further than the stats they’ve recorded. Their measurables are scarily close as well; Miller is listed at 6’3”, 249 lbs while Parsons is listed as 6’3”, 245 lbs, and Miller has an arm length of 33.5 in. and a hand span of 9.25 in. while Parsons arm length and hand span are 31.5 in. and 11 in., respectively. Not only are their OLB/DE hybrid backgrounds similar, their key measurables line up pretty closely as well-- save for the fact that Parsons ran his 40-yard dash a full tenth of a second quicker than Miller did.
Above all else, it’s hard not to compare the two when you see what they do on the field. Watching this dip-and-rip move from Parsons last year where he was, in all likelihood, held and still got to the quarterback and logged a sack-fumble, if you had shown me that clip without me having my glasses on, I probably would’ve said, “that’s a great play from Von Miller!”:
Micah Parsons sets his rush up with a stutter to off-balance the blocker. @MicahhParsons11 then dips, rips & leans towards the QB & is rewarded with a strip-sack! #passrush #cowboys pic.twitter.com/htnw3zBAm9
— Coach Aaron Day (@dlinevids1) December 13, 2021
Parsons has been so unbelievably good this season that he’s currently the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year by a wide margin. Most sportsbooks have Parsons at +100 to win the award with Myles Garrett having the second-favorite odds at +800 or worse. However, firmly in the hunt for that trophy is Miller, who’s ranked by betting sites such as this as having the fifth-best odds, tied with Aaron Donald and Rashan Gary, at +1800.
The Bills aren’t scheduled to play the Cowboys this season (unless both teams make it to the Super Bowl), which seems like a missed opportunity for a must-see-TV matchup between one of the greatest defensive players of his generation and his very worthy successor-- a master-versus-apprentice pass-rushing showcase for the ages.
But perhaps it’s for the best. We don’t constantly need to be comparing two similar players, or itching to see the next generation boot their forerunners off the field. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to just kick your feet up and enjoy a generational opportunity to watch a legend still at the height of their game and their younger, faster clone ascending to their prime at the same time-- it’s rarer than you might think. ■
But perhaps it’s for the best. We don’t constantly need to be comparing two similar players, or itching to see the next generation boot their forerunners off the field. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to just kick your feet up and enjoy a generational opportunity to watch a legend still at the height of their game and their younger, faster clone ascending to their prime at the same time-- it’s rarer than you might think. ■
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