Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons has been vocal about the need for a culture shift following his team’s 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC wildcard round.
The latest instance came in response to defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence’s claim about Dallas being fatigued entering the playoff loss to Green Bay, with Parsons saying every team plays the Cowboys with the intensity of the Super Bowl and players shouldn’t enter games with a mindset of being tired.
Parsons continued to single out culture and identity as an issue for Dallas – but ESPN’s Bart Scott, appearing on the morning show “Get Up,” believes Parsons is directly contributing to that issue.
“Attitude reflects leadership,” Scott said. “Who’s the leader … on that defensive side? … Ray Lewis ain’t letting no team show up and lay no dud. Ed Reed ain’t letting no team show up and lay no dud. Darrelle Revis ain’t showing up letting nobody lay no dud.
“He’s going to perform and play with such an energy that’s going to make everybody else play.”
This, Scott believes, isn’t what Parsons is doing.
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The 24-year-old standout who’s been named a Pro Bowler, All-Pro and top-three NFL Defensive Player of the Year finisher in each of his first three professional campaigns has a strong on-field resume.
Parsons has naturally been thrust into a leadership role on Dallas’ defense – which Scott thinks is a key contributing factor to why the Cowboys can’t win in the postseason.
“He’s lacking leadership,” Scott said. “He doesn’t understand what winning in this league is all about. Is he a great player? Yes, but just because you’re a great player doesn’t mean you’re a great leader.
“He needs to go to a leadership school and learn how to lead by example, quit talking so much and being so damn sensitive.”
Parsons logged 14 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 33 quarterback hits across 17 regular season starts but registered just two total tackles and one quarterback hit in the Cowboys’ playoff loss.
Through four postseason appearances, Parsons has one sack and three tackles for loss to his name. The sack and two of the three tackles for loss came in the same game, a 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. That’s Parsons’ lone playoff win to date.
But for Scott, the issues surrounding Parsons are much less centered on his on-field play but everything outside of it, including his active social media and streaming presence.
All of which has resulted in a so-called “sensitive” player Scott believes is helping derail Dallas’ identity.
“You’re a linebacker – that’s supposed to be a tough-guy spot,” Scott said. “He’s the most sensitive guy I’ve ever seen. He responds to everything. Get off social media, quit tweeting, quit talking about responding, and go about your business.
“That’s how you change the culture.”
