Tag: Micah Parsons

Penn State football returns in 10 weeks

Penn State will open its second striaght season on the road in Big Ten play, the first time that has ever happened.

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As the heat and humidity spikes back up in the Keystone State, so does the excitement for the start of a brand new Penn State football season. The Nittany Lions kick things off for their 2021 season in just 10 more Saturdays, meaning our weekly countdown is about to enter single digits.

Penn State opens the college football season on the road against formidable Big Ten West contender Wisconsin on September 4. The game has already been slotted to be FOX’s showcase early afternoon game for the Big Noon Kickoff. While the Nittany Lions are a slight road underdog, Penn State is hoping to make a bit of a statement right out of the gates of the new year after limping out to a disappointing 0-5 start during the 2020 season.

Penn State is looking to avoid losing back-to-back season openers for the first time since 2000 and 2001. Penn State lost to USC in the 2000 Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey (29-5). Penn State opened the 2001 season at home with the inspirational entrance by Adam Taliaferro before being dominated by the Miami Hurricanes, 33-7.

This will also be the first time Penn State has opened back-to-back seasons on the road against Big Ten opposition. Penn State has only started two seasons against Big Ten opponents prior to 2021. Penn State joined the Big Ten in football in 1993 and played its first game at home against Minnesota to commemorate the occasion. Penn State opened the adjusted 2020 season against Indiana.

WATCH: Sean Clifford debates with Indiana’s Michael Penix Jr. over result of 2020 matchup

The last time Penn State opened consecutive seasons outside of Beaver Stadium came with a three-year stretch from 2013 through 2015. Penn State opened the 2013 season in East Rutherford, New Jersey against Syracuse. The 2014 season, the first with head coach James Franklin, opened in Dublin, Ireland against UCF in the Croke Park Classic. In 2015, Penn State began the season in Philadelphia against the Temple Owls.

Week In Review

Carl Nassib breaks down a big wall in NFL

One of the biggest stories in sports this week revolved around former Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib. Nassib announced to the world that he is gay, which makes him the NFL’s first active openly gay player in the league. Nassib, a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, has received praise from many including James Franklin and former Missouri Tigers player and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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Cowboys DC Dan Quinn gushes over Micah Parsons pass-rush acumen

The Cowboys have experimented with Micah Parsons in the designated pass rusher role during OTs and minicamp, and his new DC loves it.

The Dallas Cowboys had a plan for the 2021 NFL draft.

If cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn were off the board, take linebacker Micah Parsons, their top-graded defensive player. The 12th-overall pick made a name for himself during his days at Penn State days by running downhill, attacking ball carriers and rushing the quarterback up the middle.

Parsons also slid outside and showcased a knack to get the quarterback from the edge. This offseason, the Cowboys have experimented with that aspect of his game and it’s caught the eye of his new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn

“The pass-rushing part of him, he has really picked up where he left off,” Quinn said of Parsons’ play now and the last time he was on the field in 2019, via ESPN. “He really had good speed off the edge. That part of the game is intact. Now we are working on behind the ball things: Man to man, playing zone, blitzing from off the ball. Those are things we can feature and assess.”

Quinn wasted no time using Parsons in the DPR role (designated pass rusher) during minicamp as the former Nittany Lion was seen coming off the edge at the first practice. He’s still in the learning process of perfecting that on the professional level, but Parsons is eager to be a difference-maker when called upon.

“Just creating havoc, creating disruption,” Parsons said. “Being able to create that excitement, momentum change, a chance to get the ball out and get it back to our explosive offense. That’s kind of what I like about pass rushing.”

Seeing as the Cowboys used such a high draft pick on Parsons it isn’t surprising that they are trying to get their money’s worth out of him. Yes, he will primarily play linebacker with any combination of Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Keanu Neal alongside him, but his ability to rush from the edge could see fellow rookie Jabril Cox get more snaps at linebacker on passing downs and allow him to use his excellent skills in coverage on running backs and tight ends.

Parsons played defensive end during his days at Harrisburg High School in Pennsylvania where he racked up 9.5 sacks as a senior. Although the aforementioned Lawrence and Randy Gregory are the projected starters at defensive end, Parsons wants to use his skills as a blitzer to add more firepower to the Cowboys pass rush, which he explained a few weeks ago.

“Last week we were watching film of pass rush and D-Law came up to me and was like, ‘You pass rush like that, rook?'” Parsons said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I used to be a defensive end.’ He was like, ‘All right, tap in with me.’ Me and him have been getting closer. If he’s out there, he’ll help me out and we’ll talk a little bit. Coming up here after OTAs are over, we’re going to work together before camp starts.”

Parsons has a chance to be a jack of all trades or a swiss army knife for the Cowboys defense in 2021, which the unit will need as they look bounce-back from arguably the franchise’s worst performance in it’s history on that side of the ball in 2020.

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Cowboys Micah Parsons will demand respect be put on his name

Parsons opted out of the 2020 season, now, working back onto the field with a new team and changing position spots-respect his ability.

Micah Parsons has not played a down of a physical football game since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet as mini camps, organized team activities (OTAs), and strength and conditioning have wrapped up for the 2021 Dallas Cowboys, Parsons is ready to show he is a game-changer in every sense of the word.

He is not a player who comes without recognition, either. At Penn State Parsons started only one out of 13 games in 2018. He took those opportunities and his chance to shine, leading the team in tackles with 83, including five for loss with 1.5 sacks. That earned him a Freshman All-American nod. Parsons then led the team in tackles with 109 as a sophomore including 14 for loss, with five sacks and five pass breakups, tying for fourth in the FBS with four forced fumbles and garnering first-team Associated Press All-American honors for his play in 13 games. He was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the conference’s Linebacker of the Year. Now, as a professional player, he is honest and open about his learning curves admitting he is still learning the Cowboys’ playbook. 

https://youtu.be/UtckFCjSZ_g

“I would still say I’m like 50-50 right now. I’ve got a base, and I’m just building off the base of what I know and understand so far,” he said. “There’s a lot more checks and a lot more play calls here than I had before.”  Working at different linebacker positions while also being moved over to the edge, Dallas may be easing him in but they are not afraid to push  Parsons to show he is more than capable. 

Parsons is no ordinary first-round pick. As with quite a few players in both the NFL and colleges around the country, Parsons cited personal and family COVID-19 concerns as to why he did not play football at Penn State in 2020. It was a choice many considered because the pandemic has scientists learning it leads to lasting body complications as well as issues to the heart and lungs. This has been especially true for athletes, “Cardiac abnormalities, including myocarditis, have been shown in a large portion of patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Given that myocarditis is associated with sudden mortality in athletes, attention has turned to the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 in athletic and highly active people. Researchers are seeking to establish the effectiveness of cardiac evaluation in stratifying athletes’ post-COVID-19 infection for fitness to return to training.”

Now Parsons is facing a list of new challenges, including working with a new defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, on a new team which brings in a whole new group of teammates. Much has changed for the 22-year old young man, yet, Parsons is excited.

“Right now I’m building that confidence, and I think I’m starting to get the older guys’ attention and their belief in me,” he said. “So once I get their belief and keep building up my own confidence, I think the sky is the limit for myself and this team.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvMvZ1aM6J0

Those words do not only show Parsons himself is growing in confidence and as a player but that the team is building its’ confidence in him.  This can be seen as the team moves him around the different positions. With each practice, with each minute, Parsons is striving to make his new team better by becoming the best version of himself.

Parsons is learning from those who have come before him (through tape) and those who are with him now on the field. While Parsons carries the lineage of being a linebacker for the Nittany Lions it is known his career and ability have a lot to live up to in comparison to players such as Sean Lee. Parsons seems ready to get started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3qWZN5cVjg

It will be August 5 when preseason games kick off but the real tests for Parsons and the team as a whole will begin September 9 in a primetime game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys are hopeful a revamped defense, led by Dan Quinn and a string of new linebackers such as Parsons, can take the previously 28th ranked defense to something much more competitive and energetic. Whether from the middle, the edge, or somewhere else on the field, Parsons has said it straight: He is ready to play. 

 

Micah Parsons is beating his new Dallas Cowboys teammates in chess

Micah Parsons has been learning from the vets with the Cowboys, but he’s also taking no prisoners in chess matches.

Micah Parsons appears to be settling in just fine in his new football surroundings with the Dallas Cowboys. Fresh off a freshly signed rookie contract, Parsons is already making sure to listen to the lessons of the veterans opening up their arms for him in Big D.

The former Penn State linebacker has been saying all the right things about getting himself caught up to speed and he has backed that up by listening to veterans and taking coaching from his new coaches with the Cowboys. For as much talent as Parsons has, he knows he has a long way to go to live up to the billing of the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft carries.

“It’s one thing to cover or tackle,” said Parsons in a minicamp notebook story from Jori Epstein of USA TODAY. “But if you can do the trifecta and do all three — cover, tackle, and blitz and get pressure — then that’s what makes you a good ballplayer.”

It should be no surprise Parsons is open to feedback and instruction from those around him within the Cowboys franchise. After being drafted, Parsons made it known he was hoping to be able to learn from recently-retired linebacker Sean Lee. Lee spent his entire NFL career with the Cowboys after a stellar career at Penn State.

But it’s not all hard work on the practice field and in the film room as Micah Parsons gets acclimated to the NFL. Parsons is also challenging his new teammates to rounds of chess. And it seems Parsons is taking no prisoners. His latest victim was Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper.

If Parsons can make the moves on the football field on Sundays that he is making on the practice field and on the chessboard, it could be checkmate for opposing offenses in the NFC East.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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Amari Cooper demolishes rookie in chess after being challenged

Former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper may be a star on the football field, but he’s also a master at chess. He recently took on Micah…

Former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper has found himself a nice home in Dallas with the Cowboys organization after starting his first few seasons with the then Oakland Raiders.

The Cowboys selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Recently, it came to light that Parsons challenged Cooper to a chess match. Cooper won and left Parsons speechless, as can be seen in the video below.

Cooper first started playing chess in high school as part of an after school program, he told ESPN in 2020.

“I’m a real competitive person, so I’ll compete with you at just about anything, at just about any game,” Cooper said.

Being such a competitive athlete, Cooper took on Parsons challenge and ended up winning. He posted the final move to his Instagram story, where viewers could see Parsons’ disbelief.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Cowboys end offseason with different outlooks than 2020

After a disastrous 2020, the Dallas Cowboys have made changes to ensure that this season is better than the last.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason is essentially over, with only a rookie developmental program remaining before players report to training camp in July. After a truncated offseason in Mike McCarthy’s first season, things returned to mostly normal for his second campaign.

McCarthy and his staff never had a chance to fully implement everything cleanly last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. With so much turnover on the staff, an already rough transition was compounded by a lack of in-person tutoring as the whole world went virtual.

A new year brings new hope. This offseason has gone much smoother, which even allowed McCarthy to cancel the final minicamp practice before the giving the team off until training camp.  As it’s a wrap on the organized team practices, let’s look at where the Cowboys stand now, as opposed to where they were when they ended a disappointing 2020 season. Here’s a look at what has changed.

Cowboys News: Amari Cooper’s ankle, Dak Prescott’s shoes, Micah Parsons’ versatility

Also, the real reason behind the defense’s turnover turnaround in 2020, who shined in OTAs, and the staff cancels the final day of minicamp.

Just as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott looks to “bury” his ankle injury, one report out of Dallas suggests that a teammate’s ankle injury may be hanging around. Thursday brought word that wide receiver Amari Cooper may miss the start of training camp as he recovers from an offseason procedure, but one team insider urges Cowboys fans not to over-react. Cooper’s progress is right on track, according to those in the building.

Elsewhere, things went smoothly enough that the coaching staff scrapped its final day of OTAs in favor of a team-building activity. Dak Prescott is about to cash a mammoth check- again- thanks to his new endorsement deal. Lots of defensive news, too: contracts are signed, draft picks are looking to impress, comeback seasons are taking shape, and unnoticed players are waiting to pounce. The real reason for the defense’s late-season turnover turnaround is revealed, and one outlet wonders if Dallas even needs anything above an average effort on that side of the ball. All that, plus who shined at minicamp, why a first-round rookie’s versatility may be bad news, and the surprising answer as to whether the O-line is actually better this year. News and Notes, coming right up.

Former Penn State star Micah Parsons signs contract with Dallas Cowboys

Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons signed his first NFL contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

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Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons has already experienced the thrill of being a first-round draft pick. Now the next major milestone has been achieved. On Wednesday, Parsons signed his rookie contract with Dallas Cowboys.

Details on the contract have yet to be released at this time, although the early reports are Parsons has signed a fully-guaranteed four-year contract with the team that drafted him No. 12 overall in the 2021 NFL draft.

“You can see the ability and just the instinct, the way he can react and get off the spot at the linebacker position, we’re just going through our installs, going through our concepts. But he’s fitting in real nicely.”

With Parsons signed, just one Penn State player is left to sign his rookie contract. That would be defensive end Odafe Oweh, who will be playing a linebacker position with the Baltimore Ravens.

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Cowboys News: Julio Jones rocking Cowboys gear, Parsons vs Sanders

Sean Lee discusses a tradition after injuries. Power rankings, cornerback depth, and a feud between Dallas rookies and the Eagles?

The Dallas Cowboys are always in the news and when it comes to free agency they always seem to be used to drive up the notoriety and potentially price. But when a player is on the trade market? That’s interesting. Even more interesting is when it’s a wide receiver and there’s no room at the inn. Julio Jones in a Cowboys’ t-shirt? Prepare for the Monday morning water cooler talk.

Meanwhile in more serious news, Sean Lee opens about who helped motivate him while injured. Products of Lee’s alma mater Penn State have engaged in some friendly banter as new rivals in the NFC East. The corner situation, depth at quarterback and whether or not the Cowboys should be considered as one of the top teams in 2021 are all up to bat.

Penn State football 2021 NFL draft player signing tracker

How much are former Penn State players making on their rookie contracts in the NFL in 2021?

Penn State managed to send two players through the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and one more in the second round. When all was said and done, a total of six Penn State players ended up hearing their names announced as NFL draft picks during the course of the 2021 NFL draft. But now that the draft is in the books, these players are already getting to work with their new NFL teams.

So, what now for these former Nittany Lions like linebacker Micah Parsons and tight end Pat Freiermuth? Signing those first NFL contracts! As is typical, the later-round draft picks are easier and quicker to sign their NFL contracts, as the higher draft picks tend to have a little more negotiating power even if rookie contracts can be relatively standard.

We’ll keep tabs on all of the draft pick contracts to be signed this year by Penn State players who have become NFL rookies in 2021, and we will update this information as needed when more information does become available. Contract details used here are obtained through the terrific sports contract resources available from Spotrac.