Micah Parsons has made clear his affinity for predatory jungle cats. The NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, who made the phrase “the lion is always hungry” his personal motto during an epic first season as linebacker (and sometimes edge rusher) for the Dallas Cowboys, has spoken before about his habit of watching animal videos and wildlife programs in his spare time.
But he revealed this week that his pregame ritual before every contest of the 2021 season involved something arguably even more ferocious: boxer Mike Tyson.
While a guest on The Rich Eisen Show, Parsons was asked about his ability to wreck a game, a talent he put on full display for 17 weeks, accumulating 79 tackles, 13 sacks, and three forced fumbles along the way. The 22-year-old attributed his appetite for destruction to one simple thing.
“The killer mindset,” Parsons told Eisen. “I love grasping knowledge of training my mind to be a killer.”
And while he included nature films, clips of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and even military documentaries among his motivational and educational tools, he said there’s one piece of footage that he uses before each game to get into the headspace he wants to bring to the field.
“My favorite video I listen to right before a game- I always listen to it every game,” he said, “is the Mike Tyson ‘Fear’ video.”
This is that video:
It’s a stirring- and even terrifying- two-minute calm before the storm.
Parsons talked about Tyson’s fear of being embarrassed during a bout. He also told Eisen that he especially connects with Tyson’s practice of staring down the other fighter from the moment he stepped into the ring, never breaking eye contact until his opponent did. In that moment, Tyson claimed, he knew he had the other man beaten.
Parsons began emulating the habit himself on game day.
“We all feel embarrassed. We all fear to lose, all those emotions. But when it’s time, you’ve got to be a killer,” Parsons explained. “So then I started doing that. I started looking quarterbacks in their eyes, and I’ll just stare at them. And they look down, so I know. I feel like they fear me now.”
Defensive Rookie of the Year. First-team All-Pro.@MicahhParsons11’s rookie season was nothing short of spectacular. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/c6edJVYcp9
— NFL (@NFL) February 25, 2022
“I stared at everyone,” Parsons said.
And just like Iron Mike back in the day, Parsons won most of those staring contests… and then proceeded to drop his opponents, often in violent fashion.
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