Cowboys defender Micah Parsons has an intense desire to become one of the greatest of the all-time greats. And that is making practice not as great as it could be, since Parsons apparently is violating the cardinal rule to not hit the quarterback during drills.
“In Micah’s case, we have practice ethic, rules and structure to our drills,” McCarthy recently told reporters, via Garrett Podell of CBSSports.com. “You go through these spots all the time. You don’t hit the quarterback. The quarterback hasn’t been hit in practice in my 30 years that I can recall in this league. That’s all part of working together, having discipline in your rush lane, discipline in your pass-protection unit, and this is why you have camp. We have a tremendous amount of work to do in the area of technique and fundamentals.”
Parsons addressed the situation over the weekend.
“I challenge myself and push myself to the limits, preparing myself for my mental space for where I want to be Sunday, Monday, and Thursday,” Parsons said Saturday, via Podell. “That’s my mindset. Every day is a game. Every day is to work my craft and show what I can be doing. Every day is important. I get warnings every day. But you know, I’ve always been wanting to push towards that line.”
It sounds as if he’s periodically crossing that line. It’s fine, until he hits and hurts a quarterback. It’s better than fine, if Dak Prescott manages to stay out of harm’s way — and if practicing with that kind of intensity makes Parsons even more prepared to wreak havoc on the rest of the league.
“My hands, my footwork, my eyes, what I’m looking at,” Parsons said, “everything is much more clear. Experience is playing a large part too. It’s just the reps of what I want to be really good at. The conditioning and the tempo of it all, that’s the key part. . . . I could play like seven or eight quarters. I could play two games if I have to.”
That’s a scary thought, given that Parsons will surely squeeze that ability to play eight quarters into the four quarters he’ll be playing.
