Micah Parsons took his show on the road for Super Bowl Week, and his latest guest turned the tables on the host with a probing question of his own.
In a new episode of Bleacher Report’s The Edge with Micah Parsons from Radio Row in Las Vegas this week, the Cowboys linebacker/edge rusher welcomed teammate CeeDee Lamb.
And while the two discussed everything from the social media stir caused by Lamb’s mom after the Cowboys’ disappointing postseason exit (she claimed “Dak isn’t it”) to Parsons’s bold fashion choice while serving as a presenter at NFL Honors on Thursday (he wore slides with his formalwear), the Pro Bowlers- both of whom were up for major end-of-year awards- also tried to get real with fans and each other about how another 12-win season turned out to be not good enough.
Over forty minutes into their conversation, Lamb pressed Parsons for an answer on how to make 2024 different.
“What do you feel that we need to do, as a team, as a unit?” Lamb asked. “You said we’ve got to get over this hump.”
Micah and Ceedee’s final words to their teammates and #CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/epU3JjKWn4
— Stargazer Sports Media (@TheStarGaz3rr) February 10, 2024
As usual, Parsons wasn’t shy about offering an opinion.
“For me, we’ve got to establish our culture. We’ve got to identify our captains early in the season,” he said. “We need to paint a better picture of who we want to be, fix our mistakes. People need to have way more accountability. I just think we let things slide too often because we know we’re good.”
The three-year veteran has an interesting point about team captains. Head coach Mike McCarthy traditionally elects new game-day captains each week during the regular season. While it is a way for more players to step up and share in a leadership role, it may also be a contributing factor as to why any sort of clear-cut team identity can often be so difficult to pin down in the Dallas locker room.
Parsons also hinted at a tendency for the Cowboys to coast on their reputation when things are going well. Truth. Look no further than the surprising September loss to a dreadful Cardinals team after back-to-back blowout wins to start the season or the total no-show at home versus the seventh-seeded Packers to go one-and-done in the playoffs for examples.
As for accountability, Parsons and Lamb both harped on penalties as a recurring issue. They even suggested that they, as veterans, could take a more proactive role in disciplining younger teammates who commit penalties in camp, for example.
But on the second-most-penalized team in the league, Lamb was tied for fourth-most flags this season. And three of his six penalties were for false starts. Parsons was even worse, tied for the third-most, with five of his seven penalties for defensive offside, a completely avoidable call.
“That’s all about me, bro,” Parsons continued. “I want to change the culture, I want to change the identity of what the Cowboys are. Cut the charades out, cut out the extra stuff. I just want people to lock in for 22 or whatever weeks.”
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That Parsons made this “cut out the extra stuff” comment on a weekly podcast that he hosts- even during the season- may not be the best look, but the simple fact is that every team has star players on the roster who have interests and obligations away from the football field.
But God knows that the Cowboys always have more of a circus atmosphere around them than anyone else.
To hear Parsons and Lamb tell it, that may be partly to blame for why they’re sitting around talking about the Super Bowl right now rather than preparing to play in it.
Both Cowboys vow that they’re ready to make sure things are different next year.
“Seven months can change your life,” Parsons concluded. “And I’m ready.”
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