Micah Parsons says missing Cowboys’ offseason program is his ‘style,’ explains how he makes it work

FRISCO, Texas – It’s been just over 22 years since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s unforgettable appearance complain about attending training.

Three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons’ chat with local media at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday took an Iversonian turn when he was asked why he hadn’t participated in the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason program until part from minicamp. Last season, he spent part of the OTAs training in Austin. This offseason, he missed part of OTAs to undergo boxing training locally in North Texas.

“There was a time when Aaron Donald didn’t even go to (training) camp. [2017 and 2018] and he won Defensive Player of the Year and then (the Rams) went to the playoffs,” Parsons said. “Like, are we forgetting these times? Like we’re not talking about the best defenseman not even being in camp. We are in minicamps. Volunteer in this. So you know, the (mini) camp was a must. So I’m just looking at this as a time for my body to heal. I’m playing like an undersized rusher who gets injured every year. So I’m just letting my body heal. I’m just trying to grow, get stronger and really prepare for the year.”

Parsons comparing himself to the recently retired Donald, who won two of his three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in the seasons in which he missed training camp because of a contract holdout (2017 and 2018) may seem like blasphemy, but he has the early resume to back up the comparison.

He is one of only five players – Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, Dwight Freeney and also Hall of Famer Aldon Smith – since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to accumulate at least 40 (40.5) in their first three seasons in the NFL. Parsons reached new heights in Year 3 in 2023 by leading the league in quarterback pressures (103), quarterback pressure rate (21.8%), and pass-rush win rate (35.3%). He also accumulated a career-high 14.0 sacks, tied with 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett for seventh most in the league. Parsons accomplished all this while double-teaming on 35 percent of his pass rushes last season, the most in the NFL among edge players, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. There has been no other edge rusher in the NFL who has double-teamed at a rate of 30% or more in 2023.

That resume is one of the reasons Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy called out Parsons’ absence from the May 30 OTAs. “an opportunity that was missed.” Parsons’ presence elevates the quality of work Dallas can do in practice on both offense and defense when he is present.

“It’s 360,” McCarthy said Tuesday at mandatory minicamp when asked about Parsons’ effect on his offensive and defensive teammates when he’s coaching. “We talked about it this morning in the offensive huddle. He’s a multiple position player. Is he a linebacker? Is he the open end? Is he the wide nine? Those types of things are a great job for the offense from a standpoint. of recon. guys (). So any time with players in multiple positions, it creates a lot of opportunities for others.”

Parsons had the opportunity to travel the world with Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud earlier this offseason, traveling across Asia to China and Japan as ambassadors to develop the game of football.

“We have camps and everything. We’ve done camps all over Europe, but this year we did them all over (Asia). We did one in Shanghai, China, and we had a big one in Tokyo,” Parsons said. … “We’re just trying to get football out there, and there’s a lot of kids whose parents are in the Army, so it’s good for them to see us. Their experience is great because obviously football isn’t as big there. I think it’s always been an opportunity amazing to do that.”

One of the things Parsons was able to learn during his transcontinental trip was sumo wrestling, which allowed him to learn new tips and tricks to gain an advantage over an opponent.

“Sumo (wrestling) is legit,” Parsons said. “At first I thought ‘man, I’m going to do this’. I’ll go in there, and they have levels. The level I had, you could say like the kid was like 17, so he was in high school, actually… Imagine a 0-tech and a. center doing an Oklahoma drill every play without pads. It’s a walking concussion… Sumo wrestling is completely different. challenger. My legs were shaking and I thought, ‘I need to do more legs, do legs every day.’ Hitting them is like a brick wall… I’m recruiting right now (to be a zero-tech striker).

New Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer joked that Parsons “probably could have done that to me” in early May. Although Zimmer made this observation in jest, there is some truth to it: Another reason McCarthy called Parsons missing OTAs “an opportunity that was missed” is because Parsons missed some time to be in person with teammates during the first installations of Zimmer’s scheme, which will be somewhat different from former defensive coordinator and now Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who played the last three seasons in Dallas. The three-time All-Pro called the lack of the voluntary portion of the Cowboys’ offseason program “his style,” while also stating that he was still able to get up to speed with what Zimmer is running anyway through hitting. -conversational chats with defensive run game coordinator Paul Guenther. Guenther worked with Zimmer with the Cincinnati Bengals (2008-2013) and Minnesota Vikings (2021).

“That’s always been my style. I haven’t really been here [for OTAs] since my rookie season,” Parsons said. “I don’t think it’s anything new. I’ve always had my way of doing things, and defense is defense. I’m pretty much involved with everything. Paul [Guenther] was meeting with me, the run game coordinator. I really wasn’t missing anything. I feel like I was improving, getting stronger, faster. Just doing things, what Micah does in the off-season: sumo wrestling. I just have fun.”

The real reason Parsons has for skipping school in the offseason is in the name of preserving his health.

“Yeah, you know, I think the more years you get, the more you understand that there’s a business side to it as well,” Parsons said. …Your body, that’s all I have. That’s all I have to offer the Cowboys. Before signing a contract, you undergo a physical exam. Before doing anything. Before you even join a team, you have to pass a physical exam (at the NFL Scouting Combine). This is your engine. This is where my heritage lies. I have no assets outside of that to offer them. In the end, you have to understand that availability is the best capability. If I’m not available when it really matters because I’m injured or my body isn’t healing properly or I haven’t gotten all the rehab and treatment I need to be successful, then you know that’s on me. This is not their (the Cowboys) fault. They’ll just find the next me.”

One of the consequences and missed opportunities of Parsons opting out of the voluntary portions of the offseason program is missing out on building a relationship with Zimmer, with whom Parsons has said “a total of 20 words” since his hiring in February. This lack of relationship is likely why Parsons believes he and Zimmer, who acknowledged having a reputation for being an idiot in his introductory press conference because of his intensity, will be willing to compromise his style of play in the 2024 season.

“Honestly, Zim and I probably said a total of 20 words together,” Parsons said. “He is a very quiet person. All I hear from coaches is, ‘Zim likes it that way.’ Well, I like it that way. I can’t wait to sit down with him because that would be so cool. Obviously, the old school mentality, the old school mentality. I’ve never had a Micah before. So it will be fun. I think it will be unique. There are a lot of similarities in how he uses me and how Dan (Quinn) used me in the system. and how he will set things up. There are some things I also need to get used to. Obviously some things I also need to get used to.

Despite talking about wanting to improve the Cowboys’ culture in his Bleacher Report PodcastParsons has shown he’s willing to compromise on that commitment, getting his 250-pound body into shape outside of The Star, to the point where he appeared to take photos and other content for the broadcast elements of the Dallas game day on May 29, but not for OTAs on May 30th.

“You don’t just build relationships in the locker room,” Parsons said, rejecting the idea that he needs to be in the facility to develop chemistry. “Me and (defensive lineman) Chauncey (Golston) went on vacation to Columbia and (defensive lineman) Sam (Williams) was there too. I don’t think a locker room is the only way to build chemistry with my teammates. Now you’re talking about newbies. I come here and sit in a cold tub and talk to some of the newbies. Just because I’m not actively here at the designated time doesn’t mean I’m not going.

Ultimately, Parsons believes being at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif. (July 23-Aug. 22) is enough time to make up for his routine absence. The 2024 season will reveal whether the All-Pro can help Dallas achieve different results in the postseason while also following his own usual offseason program.

“Have you ever watched Remember the Titans? We’re going to be in Oxnard for a long, long time,” Parsons said. “There’s going to be a lot of chemistry in that building. I think it’s really the moment where you see it all. Like it’s really hard to teach someone without pads or true contact or hand points. Like it’s not realistic. We can’t even touch someone or we’re going to lose a draft or something. It’s just outrageous, and I really don’t, I think right now it’s just more of my position… where I’m at, it’s very individual, and I can do a lot individually on my own or with my coach.”