If he were still in college, linebacker Micah Parsons would have wrapped up his regular season by now. Maybe there would be a conference championship still to play for, but for the most part, he and his Penn State teammates would be waiting to hear which bowl game they’d be invited to.
But the rookie, who has become the must-watch player on the Cowboys’ suddenly-transformed defense, already grasps that an 8-4 record at this level doesn’t mean nearly the same thing.
“Right now, only half the job is done,” Parsons told reporters following the Cowboys’ 27-17 road win over the New Orleans Saints. “You’ve got to complete the whole mission.”
Parsons has been the frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year for most of this season. But the team leader in sacks- by a lot- and the league co-leader in tackles for loss is suddenly in the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, too.
But the 22-year-old has his sights set higher: on what the team still wants to accomplish as a unit.
“Super Bowl. Playoffs. You’ve got five games left,” Parsons said. “There’s stuff to be done within those five games. I don’t think it’s time for me to sit on my couch smiling and eating Cheetos just yet. I’m trying to do something way bigger than what anybody else thought we could do this year. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m just doing my job in the process.”
One can almost envision the new commercials starring Parsons and Chester Cheetah kicking back on the sofa, with the player who loves to proclaim “The lion is always hungry” as the new face of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Micah Parsons’ closing speed is wild pic.twitter.com/DpTkv9SN31
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 3, 2021
Of course, Parsons’s regular job has already included a good bit of moonlighting. In just his second game at the pro level, the linebacker played defensive end to cover for injured teammates. Much of the considerable damage he’s done this season has come when playing out of position in coordinator Dan Quinn’s fast and aggressive defense.
“You call him a linebacker,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “But what he really is is a disruptor. He’s very unique. He’s unique.”
His teammates agree.
“I feel like the more the season went on, you could see his speed start to come alive in games,” DeMarcus Lawrence said of Parsons after the Week 13 win, his first game back after a long absence. “He’s just a fast player. Excellent instincts. A go-getter. The lone lion.”
Parsons and Lawrence had previously taken the field together in just the season opener before a broken foot sidelined Lawrence for 10 weeks. The rookie was glad to have the two-time Pro Bowler back in the huddle, though it was only for about half of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps as Lawrence worked his way back to game speed.
“It felt good,” Parsons said of Lawrence’s return. “High-energy guy. Anytime you’re out there, you hear him on the sidelines, trying to help you throughout the game… It’s great to have him back. Glad he got his feet wet. One step forward to what he’s trying to accomplish and what were trying to accomplish.”
While Parsons has been the breakout star of the Cowboys defense in 2021, Thursday’s performance was a true team effort. Four different Dallas players logged an interception, ranging from cornerback Trevon Diggs with his league-leading ninth to defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, who recorded his first career pick and first career touchdown all on the same fourth-quarter play.
“Any time you’re backed up and you’ve got a chance to get off the field,” Parsons commented, “somebody’s got to make play. You’ve always got to think, ‘Why not me?’ Today, everybody made a play. Tre made a play, doing what he do. Carlos made a play. Everybody made a play that led to a victory today. I think that’s what’s important.”
The NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for November shows no sign of slowing down in December. And while rookies are often just happy to make any sort of contribution in their first year, Parsons is already exhorting his veteran teammates to play up to his level, even though he’s played just 12 games as a pro.
“Very high standards for myself and for what I told Coach Q,” Parsons explained. “I told him from the very beginning, ‘Don’t treat me like a rookie.’ I said, ‘If I’m doing something wrong, tell me I’m doing something wrong. And if I’m doing something right, let me know, and I’ll keep doing it.'”
Right now, Parsons is doing pretty much everything right. And he’s hoping to keep doing it that way for another two months before cracking open that bag of Cheetos.
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