I think he is making a mistake unless he approaches this correctly. There is a long line of guys who had some success in the league and decided “I could be so much better if I were bigger!” They don’t realize how much of their success is tied to being the size that they are, and they can’t take everything they are doing now and simply plop it into a bigger body.
The article says he is trying to add 5 pounds of muscle. If he’s really trying to get 5-10 lbs heavier I think he can make it work. But if he thinks he’s going to show up 20+ lbs heavier and everything is going to be super awesome, I predict his name can be added to the list of guys who regressed due to not learning from other players mistakes.
I guess maybe it’s more of a comment on what Dallas is trying to do vs parsons himself? I guess to me it just sounds like taking a good player and trying to fit him into something else, like what the lions have done many times in the past. Remember Tavai being asked to gain weight then lose weight then gain more weight or whatever the hell they did with him? That’s kinda where I’m coming from. If the guy is a good player as is and can become great with better players around him as opposed to changing his game to make the defense better? I dunno…
and also think about the difference between rushing when people think you are a LB… vs… taking on the OT straight up.
In his rookie year… Parsons moved around a bit…. had some “A”gap blitzes… and didn’t always have to square up against a 300+ pound OT that had long arms.
If he is going to face those OTs all the time now… having a little extra sand in his pants isn’t gonna slow him up much at all… but might help him not wear down.
He actually had more QB hits as a rookie playing far less on the edge than he did in his second season. Lining him up all over the field actually seems like a better idea to me so the offensive line doesn’t know where he’s going to be all the time.
People have been trying it for decades. Like I said above, if he is just trying to tinker with 5 to 10 lbs I think he will be okay. But if he gets bigger than that he is going to see the same diminishing returns and regression countless other players have experienced. Being heavier is harder on the body and heart. Its not the gloryland people think it is. Thats why more players have had success shedding weight than gaining weight.
for sure…, I don’t think a 20 pound addition is a good idea…
but a 10… maybe 15 pounds of clran muscle… on a 6’3”3 frame… sounds like the sweet spot to me.