Micah Parsons shows up for Dallas Cowboys' voluntary workouts and it's obvious who the biggest winner is
When Micah Parsons walked into team facilities at The Star in Frisco, Texas for the start of voluntary workouts, you know the Dallas Cowboys front office had to be ecstatic. Even if it was expected, there was always a chance Parsons skipped early practices due to his camp's negotiations for a deal foreseen to make him […]
When Micah Parsons walked into team facilities at The Star in Frisco, Texas for the start of voluntary workouts, you know the Dallas Cowboys front office had to be ecstatic.
Even if it was expected, there was always a chance Parsons skipped early practices due to his camp's negotiations for a deal foreseen to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
But while it's a win for the franchise overall, it's obvious who stands out as the biggest winner of the superstar's attendance: First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer's biggest calling card going into the unexpected opportunity granted by the Cowboys front office earlier in the year is not that he's an Xs and Os guru or a strategic mastermind: It's his leadership.
Several NFL figures have praised Schottenheimer's ability to command the locker room and his knack for human relationships. To ensure Parsons is in the building despite some contractual drama that's included public exchanges between the star defender and front office is a notch on his belt.
Schottenheimer's statements in his introductory press conference in January come to mind:
"One of my greatest strengths is my ability to create relationships, relationships that are built on trust, respect, connection. I'm really good with X's and O's, but I'm great with people and the type of men that we have in this locker room are excited about that. And so I think as we build this thing out, as the culture comes together this team, that's where I feel like my greatest impact will be felt with the relationships, the ability to communicate. I've always been someone that was very good at having open dialog, hard conversations, and I've always tried to paint very clear bright lines, and that's what I plan to do as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys."
The Cowboys head coach said earlier in the month he expected Parsons to be around for the team's offseason regardless of his contract situation.
There are many more tests to follow for Schotty and his legacy will not be built on his first ever roll-call. But it may foreshadow a winning culture. Players in Parsons' situation don't often show up to voluntary workouts. This matters. And it says a lot about Schottenheimer.
