Micah Parsons talks about defining rookie moment and second-year expectations
Micah Parsons is the Cowboys' Swiss Army knife on defense. He's the main catalyst for their turnover around last season and the spearhead for a rookie class that received rave reviews for its overall performance. The 12th overall pick recently sat down with CBS Sports to discuss a plethora of topics. Among them was the […]
Micah Parsons is the Cowboys' Swiss Army knife on defense. He's the main catalyst for their turnover around last season and the spearhead for a rookie class that received rave reviews for its overall performance.
The 12th overall pick recently sat down with CBS Sports to discuss a plethora of topics. Among them was the moment that Parsons realized he was made for the NFL stage, and it wasn't just one.
"There were a couple defining moments for me," said Parsons. "The first moment was in camp. I was pass rushing and going through some team drills against the best of the best. I think we have the best offense in the NFL. I thought I was doing well hanging (with those players), learning and developing, doing very well. I was like, 'Okay, I can play at this level.'
"There was a moment early in the year when I got my first sack and we won our first game. "And midway through the year I said, 'Man I'm here for a reason. Let me just be me. No more thinking, just play.'"
Parsons was a monster in his rookie season. He amassed 84 tackles (20 tackles for loss), 13 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and three passes defended. His best stretch came in the final two full months of the season where he racked up 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits.
This led to Parsons receiving a ton of individual accolades. He was named First-Team All-Pro, selected to the Pro Bowl, voted the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Year by the NFL’s 101 Awards, and he earned Rookie of the Year honors as well as the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. Also, he became the first unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year at the NFL Honors ceremony.
That's quite a successful first year in the NFL. When asked if he accomplished all the goals he had to start his rookie year, Parsons mentioned that a few didn't get done.
"I wanted to complete the year healthy and help the Cowboys to the playoffs. I wanted to help take the Cowboys to the Super Bowl and become a leader on the team. I accomplished almost all of them."
Micah Parsons helped the Cowboys' defense lead the NFL in turnovers (34) and be the top until stopping offenses on third down. It sparked a 12-5 campaign that included an NFC East title and a playoff berth for the Cowboys, but it, unfortunately, ended in the first round against the San Francisco 49ers.
It appeared that Parsons was healthy all season long, but that wasn't the case. He revealed after the season was over that he played with a hyperextended knee.
“It was just something that kept lingering,” Parsons said. “When you hyperextend something it needs rest. But I was like, ‘I can’t take no rest.'”
The fact that Parsons was able to be so dominant while dealing with a knee issue makes his rookie campaign so impressive. Another reason for his success is defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the way he let Parsons be the all-purpose defender he was instead just an off-the-ball linebacker like most thought he would be used.
Micah Parsons formed a bond early on with Quinn to the point that the two were seen after practice during the summer getting in extra work. The newly crowned Defensive Rookie of the Year spoke on not wanting to disappoint Quinn.
"He let me know he needed me to be his guy and I didn't want to let him down," Parsons said.
After a promising season like the Cowboys had the expectations are for it to continue in 2022. Parsons discussed what Dallas needs to do to have more playoff success and what the expectations are going forward.
"We have to clean up the details and we have to be way more disciplined. We can't beat ourselves. That was our first year together in that system and there's a lot of time for us to grow and get better from it."
Parsons has set himself up to be the face of the Cowboys' defense for a long time to come. When asked if he wants to be in Dallas for the duration of his career, Parsons said he is where he wants to be.
"I hope so! I hope I don't go anywhere else."
Featured image via-Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
