Aside from his superb talent on defense and being arguably the best linebacker in the NFL, Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons is trying to prove to the world that he’s maturing not by what he says, but by what he does. It’s something his head coach, Mike McCarthy, is seeing himself.
“Oh, I think he’s growing, I think he’s growing every opportunity,” McCarthy said to the Dallas Morning News.
It wasn’t always this way for Parsons. He was labeled as immature coming out of college based on a hazing incident he was never charged for. It’s up for debate if he fell to the 12th pick in the 2021 draft based on character concerns but the Cowboys certainly aren’t complaining. Micah Parsons had a fantastic rookie season with no issues, racking up 13 sacks and three forced fumbles not to mention making the Pro Bowl and being named an All-Pro.
After such a successful rookie year, Parsons took time in the offseason to relish in his popularity, taking part in several celebrity events that worried his defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.
“I was really concerned heading into his second year because of how much success that came his way,” Quinn mentioned.
After Micah Parsons returned from the offseason fully prepared, Quinn was convinced his sophomore season wouldn’t be an issue. So far, Parsons has been even better than his rookie year as he’s accumulated 12 sacks and three forced fumbles already, including one returned for a touchdown. He’s possibly the frontrunner for NFL Defensive MVP and has helped the Cowboys get out to an 8-3 record.
Parsons is still trying to prove that he’s not the same immature kid that was drafted out of Penn State.
“I made my mistakes,” Parsons said. “I’m not mad about people misinterpreting me because I was that kid that was up to no good.”
After 28 games in the NFL, all that noise about Parsons’ character has died down but he realizes that as much as anyone.
“It’s just part of growing up,” Parsons remarked. “You gotta accept every part of the good and the bad.”
