As the first two weeks of training camp wrap up, engaging in conversation with Micah Parsons reveals his resolute determination to raise the bar this season.
Given his discussions about the strides he's made during the offseason and the bar he's set for his personal performance, an unmistakable self-assuredness characterizes his mindset this season.
This sense of confidence seamlessly transitions into action with Parsons as he continues to live up to his promises to perform. He has also expanded his goals beyond the gridiron, embarking on a journey to Austin to build a personalized training regimen. This pursuit is just another example of Parsons dedication to finding new ways to grow as a player.
"Just challenging myself and pushing myself to the limits," Parsons said. "I think every day is a game and every day is a chance to work my craft. Every day is important."
That work has created improvements in every part of his game, Parsons says, as he looks to become even more of a complete pass rusher and football player in 2023.
"My hands, my footwork, my eyes, what I'm looking at," he said about his improvements. "Obviously my experience has played a huge part as well. The conditioning, the tempo, that's the key part. I can play like seven, eight quarters. I can play two games if I need to."
With two All-Pro seasons already under his belt and a defensive output through two years that has rarely been seen in NFL history, Parsons continues to push himself to become even better, waking up at five in the morning during the offseason to practice. For Parsons it's about more than just chasing success, but chasing constant personal improvement.
"I got a testimony of where I want to be with my faith in God," he said. "When you talk about great careers, you talk about the Hall of Fame, but I don't think I want to just make the Hall of Fame. I want to be one of the great Hall of Famers. There's categories to everything. There's great, and then there's perfect."
For someone like Parsons who in a lot of ways is incomparable to others given his positional versatility, he sees careers from the game's past that he is trying to model as he gears up to hit his NFL prime.
"To me, a guy like Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, Primetime, Michael Strahan," he said. "They all had a legendary season, they all had a legendary thing about them, broken records. Really just set the tone to be a primetime player. They set the tone on how to be great and separate themselves from others."
That greatness for Parsons includes a Super Bowl, and it's something that he wants to see accomplished for himself and the people around him.
"I think those rings and those moments where your best player steps up, it leads and carries and brings everyone else around you," Parsons said. "There's just no better moment in any sport, no matter what it is. There are people that have had great careers, but without that Super Bowl, man… that Super Bowl carries so much weight."
