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Micah Parsons has never experienced losing three football games in a row. Not in the NFL. Not in college. Not in high school.\u00a0Not ever.<\/em><\/p>\n And if he counts his total back-to-back losses, it takes just one hand and doesn\u2019t even require all five fingers.<\/p>\n (The Cowboys haven\u2019t dropped three consecutive contests since 2020, in the wake of Dak Prescott\u2019s ankle injury and before Parsons was drafted.)<\/p>\n So the Cowboys\u2019 current two-game skid had Parsons uncharacteristically subdued when he spoke to reporters this week. But it\u2019s not just about having come up short on the scoreboard- not in a short prep week where other fingers are being pointed. No, what\u2019s at issue here isn\u2019t scheme breakdowns or missed assignments or being outmuscled, but far more fundamental (and troubling) themes like effort and professionalism.<\/p>\n Despite he and other team leaders being vocal about it for a second straight week, Parsons had to admit he\u2019s not even sure the message is getting through to those that need to hear it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to tell, right? \u2018Cause everyone\u2019s nodding their head like, \u2018Yeah, we all agree.\u2019 At the same time, it\u2019s not equal out there on the field,\u201d Parsons\u00a0said after Tuesday\u2019s walkthrough. \u201cI feel like, as a competitor, at some point, you\u2019ve got to be prideful enough to say, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m not going to allow this to happen to me.\u2019 I feel like some people are just allowing them[selves] to keep getting smacked in the face. When are you going to stand up?\u201d<\/p>\n After the Cowboys\u2019 season-opening blowout win over the Browns, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer praised his unit for \u201cstaying on the reservation,\u201d and sticking to their assignments.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s embarrassing losses in Weeks 2 and 3, however, were\u00a0followed by internal complaints\u00a0about some teammates playing \u201chero ball,\u201d trying to do more than the job their position requires. DeMarcus Lawrence compared the unit\u2019s effort to \u201clittle league football.\u201d Parsons himself said, \u201cWe just got people trying to be Superman.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dallas defense is having obvious struggles as they transition away from Dan Quinn\u2019s freewheeling style of play to Zimmer\u2019s more disciplined approach. Parsons acknowledged that the unit is filled with a lot of young players, inexperienced rookies, and new faces, likening the process to growing pains.<\/p>\n But despite his status as one of the most feared defenders in the sport, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, and one of three players the organization has labeled as critical to their long-term plans, Parsons said he hasn\u2019t started pulling guys aside in the locker room to talk about pulling their weight.<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel like I\u2019m not there yet, to go to someone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to blame one particular person for one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Parsons need to do some growing, too, at least in that regard.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s collective growing to be done, though, these Cowboys need to do it in a hurry. They face a division rival in the New York Giants on Thursday night. Away, on a short week, and at 1-2, the Cowboys are already hearing that it\u2019s a must-win situation.<\/p>\n Parsons has a different perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like every game is really must-win,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the last two years, we were one game off a No. 1 seed, things like that. So I think every game has equal importance. In particular, I would like to get the ball back rolling again, getting back in the win column, getting to what we know best.\u201d<\/p>\n So the 25-year-old will continue to preach the \u201cdo your job\u201d sermon. And he says he\u2019s fighting the urge to personally stray from that lesson himself, even as he looks to avoid the first three-game losing streak of his life.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard, because I\u2019ve got to fit into the system,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019ve got to fit into the framework. That\u2019s the whole point of everyone doing their one-eleventh. Elevate yourself. What do you need others to do? Elevate, too. We all got to elevate together; it can\u2019t be just one or two. To me, I\u2019ve just got to make my plays when they\u2019re there and do my job for my guys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026and also hope that his guys pick up on the message that has reverberated around The Star for two weeks, going on three.<\/p>\n A frustrated Parsons says he\u2019s still not sure they have.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, everyone says it. But then again, we\u2019ve got to see what happens on Sunday. Or Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Micah Parsons has never experienced losing three football games in a row. Not in the NFL. Not in college. Not in high school.\u00a0Not ever. And if he… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAn offer for Cowboys fans<\/h3>\n
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