Linebacker Micah Parsons has been a gift sent from heaven for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s had an incredible rookie season with 84 tackles (20 tackles for loss), 13 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and three passes defended. However, this Sunday, Parsons will play in his first playoff game which means the importance of playing well goes up a notch.
Parsons isn’t leaving any stone unturned in his preparation for the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier in the week, he had lunch with former Cowboys great and 2022 Hall of Fame finalist DeMarcus Ware to pick his brain about what he can do better now that the playoffs are here. Ware talked to him about getting a better initial burst off of the line of scrimmage, which can only serve Parsons well when he’s rushing the passer.
“He’s like, ‘I love film. I’ll watch film with you anytime you want,’” Parsons said. “He was telling me about what to look for when you’re watching. All the tendency things, things that I kind of knew but he kind of went into more detail on things.”
A day after he spent time going over things with Ware, Parsons watched film with the Cowboys’ Senior Defensive Assistant George Edwards to get even more prepared for the 49ers.
“I kind of had a head start on it,” Parsons said in regards to watching film on the 49ers. “I was like, ‘Hey, you see that right there with the receiver, when they run the toss,’ or whatever? [Edwards] was like, ‘Oh yeah, you are good.’ I was like, ‘Yeah George, I’m paying more attention than you think, brother.’ He kind of just laughed and things like that.
“That just speaks volumes to the relationships I’m building with coaches and former players.”
Parsons looked like he was going to have a good year in the first seven weeks when he recorded two and a half sacks. However, in his last nine games, Parsons was on a completely different planet by registering 10.5 sacks over that span to go along with 19 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss.
The unique thing about Parsons is that he does his damage from multiple areas. He took snaps at linebacker, defensive end, cornerback, and safety in 2021 which established him as the most versatile defender in the NFL.
“There is nobody like me,” Parsons said. “I feel like you can easily find a good pass rusher. Look at Myles Garrett. Look at T.J. Watt. But you can’t put them against any running back in the NFL. You can get a good linebacker. He can cover. Look at Eric Kendricks, Fred Warner. They can cover, but they can’t pass rush like I can. I don’t see them guard receivers like I can. Really, the tape speaks for itself.”
The 49ers have a very physical style of play on offense with their running game which ranked seventh in the NFL at 127.4 yards per game. When Parsons was told the 49ers like to play “bully ball” he was quick to counter with this.
“I’m from Harrisburg where the bullies get bullied,” Parsons said. “There’s a bully in every gym. …At one point, it’s going to take somebody to stand up and fight. I ain’t ever back down from a challenge.”
Parsons will need to display all of his skills this Sunday against the 49ers whether it’s being a menace at linebacker by going sideline to sideline or coming off the edge as a pass rusher. If the young lion can feast like he’s done all year it will be a long day for the 49ers offense and could set up the Cowboys’ offense with great opportunities to score points with good field position.
