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Cowboys’ Micah Parsons to remain versatile in 2022, Dallas will not commit him fully to defensive end

Published

2 years ago

March 31, 2022

Don’t look now, but the Dallas Cowboys are again in search of another war daddy pass rusher. Though they narrowly escaped a parting of ways with All-Pro defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence due to a contractual dispute that was resolved with a new deal altogether, their good fortune didn’t extend to Randy Gregory — who pivoted at the last second to signing with the Denver Broncos due to, well, a contractual dispute. The latter left many wondering if the Cowboys would use former first-round pick Micah Parsons to help salve the wound opposite Lawrence, and the answer is both yes and no.

Yes, the All-Pro linebacker will continue to rush the passer off of the edge but, no, it will not be his full-time gig. Parsons will instead remain primarily a linebacker whose true role can only be described as “weapon,” one head coach Mike McCarthy plans to use in varying ways — as was the case in Parson’s electric rookie season — versus shrinking his abilities to just one role.

“The people that say, ‘Hey, why don’t you play him at defensive end?’,” McCarthy pondered aloud to reporters, via the team’s website. “Very fair. That’s a very fair question. But we’ve made it clear: We want him moving around.”

It’s reasonable for McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to feel this way, because if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it. And, what’s more, the name of the game is to keep the opposing offense guessing — i.e., playing a four quarter game of “Where’s Waldo?” as it relates to Parsons — a key reason he was able to dominate the way he did in his first NFL season.

“It would be very easy to just line him up at end and play him there every down,” McCarthy added. “But the fact of the matter is he had, what, 13 sacks. Seven came from the linebacker position, six from the defensive end position. I know as an offensive guy, you’re helping me if you can line him up at one position every time.”

For his part, Parsons is already working on leveling up, and not in one area/role.

“Bro, I can get better everywhere,” Parsons said, speaking from the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl. “I can become a better pass rusher. I can become a better LB. Like, anything. I just feel like I’m just out there raw and I was just learning and I grew and I kept getting better and better throughout the year.

“No one’s ever perfect. There’s always room to grow in many ways to get better.”

Parsons finished the 2021 season with a team-high 13 sacks, 84 combined tackles (64 solo, 20 tackles for loss), three pass break ups and three forced fumbles while very nearly adding an interception or two to his stat line — en route to landing a First Team All-Pro nod, Pro Bowl honors and the award as AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The re-signing of Dorance Armstrong and the acquisition of Dante Fowler will likely combine with a 2022 draft pick in an attempt to replace Gregory, and while Parsons can and will help on-demand, don’t count on him being anything other than what he’s proven himself to be: a weapon.

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Related Topics:Commit Cowboys Dallas defensive fully Micah Parsons remain Versatile

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Former Player Says Dolphins Star Should Be NFL MVP Favorite

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38 seconds ago

December 5, 2023

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(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

The race for the NFL regular-season MVP award is heating up, and the first two frontrunners for the award — star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts — have some competition.

Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys has entered the talks lately after a few excellent games in a row, and there has even been talk of two San Francisco 49ers studs — QB Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey — having a shot.

There is also Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is having a season for the ages, and LeSean McCoy said on “Speak” that Hill should be the favorite to win the award.

.@CutOnDime25: Tyreek Hill should be the favorite to win MVP right now. pic.twitter.com/S3nOfm8sRS
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 4, 2023

On Sunday, Miami routed the Washington Commanders by 30 points, and Hill caught only five passes, but he turned them into 157 yards and two touchdowns.

That performance ran his season totals to 1,481 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, and he still leads everyone in both categories.

He’s on pace to not only surpass Calvin Johnson for the most receiving yards in a single season but to also become the first player to ever reach 2,000 receiving yards in a single season.

It is rare for a non-quarterback to win the NFL MVP award, and the last time such a player pulled it off was in 2012 when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson got it done.

That year, Peterson became one of a handful of players to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a single season, and it seems that’s the type of production a non-signal-caller needs to claim the award.

The post Former Player Says Dolphins Star Should Be NFL MVP Favorite appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Analyst Heaps Praise Upon 1 QB’s Start To NFL Career

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4 mins ago

December 5, 2023

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(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

After he was the last player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft, quarterback Brock Purdy entered last season third on the San Francisco 49ers’ depth chart and was pretty much an afterthought.

But after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo both suffered season-ending injuries, Purdy took over in Week 13 and played brilliantly right away.

He turned into a nice Cinderella story fairly quickly, but many across the nation doubted he was for real and dismissed him as a “system quarterback,” especially since the 49ers throw the football less frequently than most, if not all, other teams.

But after his dazzling performance in Sunday’s blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy has become a frightening reality for the rest of the NFL.

Danny Kanell said, per NFL on CBS, that Purdy is having one of the best starts to a career of any NFL quarterback, and he has the stats to back up that claim.

.@dannykanell says Brock Purdy is having one of the best starts to a career of all time… and he's got the numbers to back it up pic.twitter.com/LFjhQKt9pW
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) December 4, 2023

Purdy now has 17 games — a full NFL season — as a starter under his belt, and in those games, as Kanell pointed out, Purdy has the highest completion percentage, QBR, and yards per pass attempt of any quarterback in his first 17 starts.

In fact, he’s currently leading everyone in the NFL in pass completion percentage, passer rating, and yards per both pass attempt and pass completion, and he’s very narrowly behind the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott for the lead in QBR.

Against the Eagles, the Iowa State University product was 19 of 27 for 314 yards and four touchdowns in a dominating 42-19 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

In fact, that win and performance has apparently put Purdy in the discussion for the league MVP award.

The post Analyst Heaps Praise Upon 1 QB’s Start To NFL Career appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Dan Patrick Questions 1 Eagles Decision During Blowout Loss

Published

9 mins ago

December 5, 2023

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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t just lose at home on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers — they got embarrassed by 23 points.

They took an early 6-0 lead as the Niners offense struggled in the first quarter, but that would do it as far as Philly’s competence in this game, as they got completely dominated the rest of the way.

On “The Dan Patrick Show,” Dan Patrick questioned why head coach Nick Sirianni still had his starters in the game during the final minutes, particularly quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back D’Andre Swift.

Dan didn't understand why the #Eagles still had their starters in the game while they were getting blown out late into the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/0z2eR71CKl
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 4, 2023

Hurts had to leave the field at one point to get evaluated for a possible concussion, but afterward, he re-entered the game, even though the outcome was virtually decided at that point.

Hurts, who came into the contest as a front-running MVP candidate, had a weak outing, going 26 of 45, throwing just one touchdown pass, and only managing 20 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Brock Purdy continued his Cinderella story by completing 19 of 27 passes for 314 yards and four touchdown passes while not throwing a single interception.

Philly is now 10-2 on the season, and they have a real shot at not finishing first in the NFC, which would mean they would likely have to win a playoff game on the road to return to the Super Bowl.

They will play the Dallas Cowboys, who, like the 49ers, are 9-3, this coming week, and a loss would truly sound the alarm bells throughout the Delaware Valley.

The Eagles came into Week 13 as perhaps the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but now, the 49ers have seemingly taken over that territory, at least for now.

The post Dan Patrick Questions 1 Eagles Decision During Blowout Loss appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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