CFZ Micah Parsons' next challenge: Showing some leadership

[Rockport]

Not to his peers. He's really good...but they don't vote him MVP or first team all-pro...

Parsons is great. Didn’t he finish in the top 3 in DPOY voting every year of his career as well as Rookie of the year?

 

[MyFairLady]

Parsons doesn't need to practice he can show up and dominate. That is fantastic for him. Most can't. The problem comes when your best player sets the bad example and the others follow who can't afford the bad habits. To win now in the NFL your best players have to be the hardest working all the time. They have to set the standard for everyone else to try to live up to. Parsons might set a high standard on game day but he sets a very low bar every other day and IMHO it showed against Green Bay.

D Flaw was the same way. Diggs is the same way. The core appears to be rotten.

 

[plasticman]

I think Micah will figure it out. He's a 25 year old NFL superstar soon to be a multi-millionaire and that has to be tough to handle. There is a lot of distractions just being 25.

He's lost in the playoffs three years in a row and that has got to begin to frustrate him. I've seen previous players take a little time to mature and begin to figure out what is really important.

It's encouraging to me that he hasn't really done anything detrimental to the team. He's been handling himself in public, there hasn't been any of those 6 game suspensions that really cripple a season. We all remember some of the issues we had with prior 1st round picks like Dez and Zeke.

I think that was a good start. Some players like D-Law and even Romo had to grow into a leadership role and perhaps that also applies to Parsons.

 

[Bobhaze]

There is zero doubt Micah Parsons is a top shelf talent. That is not in question. What is in question is whether or not he takes more responsibility with being the team’s most talented player. If your most talented player is not also your most committed player to at least lead by example, they lose some of their potential to help the TEAM.

There are two types of football organizations:

1. A collection of players who all wear the same uniform who play as independent contractors for what’s best for them as a player. Another description would simply be a collection of talent.
2. A team of players that work together for the common success of the team. Individual egos are placed behind team goals and accomplishments.

It remains to be seen what the 2024 Cowboys will be. A collection of talented players or a team of talented players.

 

[MyFairLady]

Some players like D-Law had to grow into a leadership role and perhaps that also applies to Parsons.

I will never understand how D Flaw is viewed as a leader for this team. He is unbelievably selfish and has created nothing but division in the locker room.

 

[Ranching]

It would be hard to disagree that Micah Parsons is the most talented player on this Cowboys team. He certainly is the most talented player on the defense. His physical skills are undeniable and at the top of the league. His pass rushing skills wreak havoc on offensive lines. Offensive coordinators undoubtedly have to account for MP first in the development of every game plan. Having a player of this level of talent is something to believe in.

But it is also a common belief in sports that you should be able to count on your best, most talented player to not only play well, but to also show some leadership. If not verbally, at least by example. Because despite Micah Parsons‘ enormous talent, he has yet to show a level of leadership in accordance with his talent.

Leadership does not have to be verbally eloquent. Parsons doesn’t have to be a rah-rah guy in the locker room. In fact, the best sports leaders first and foremost lead by example on and off the field. The best leaders on the team should be the best in practice, leaders by example in the weight room, and be someone who makes the team bigger than a bunch of individuals. I haven’t seen those qualities yet from Parsons. But he’s only 24. He has time.

So how could Micah Parsons step up into a bigger role as a leader on this team now?

• Be the example of a strong work ethic. First in the weight room. Hardest worker at practice. Hold teammates accountable to do the same.
• Stop making ANY excuses after losses or complaining about things that are “unfair”.
• Put the team before your personal brand. Temporarily suspend the podcast until you have accomplished something as a TEAM.

This list could be longer but you get the idea. Team leaders do not have to be eloquent public speakers or lead cheers in the locker room. But if your most talented player seems to be more concerned about podcasts and getting jerseys signed and a frequent excuse maker, it hurts the team.

Time for Micah Parsons to show some real leadership.

Not every player is a vocal leader....in Micahs case he leads by the way he plays...which is much better than someone yelling, Let's Go!

 

[Bobhaze]

Not every player is a vocal leader....in Micahs case he leads by the way he plays...which is much better than someone yelling, Let's Go!

I agree. He can be a leader by example. IMO he just needs to be a better example.

 

[G2]

who ain't a diva in Dallas

Lots of players.

 

[Motorola]

Not to his peers. He's really good...but they don't vote him MVP or first team all-pro...

Parsons is great. Didn’t he finish in the top 3 in DPOY voting every year of his career as well as Rookie of the year?

All of the major NFL individual player awards for performance on the field - are voted on \ selected by press organizations, that employ reporters and writers who follow the league intensely as the season goes along.
Players in the league have no input or say which of their peers get honored.

 

[Rockport]

All of the major NFL individual player awards for performance on the field - are voted on \ selected by press organizations, that employ reporters and writers who follow the league intensely as the season goes along.
Players in the league have no input or say which of their peers get honored.

Moving goal posts I see. So I guess these awards are just meaningless?

 

[MyFairLady]

in Micahs case he leads by the way he plays...which is much better than someone yelling, Let's Go!

Playing good is not leadership. It is nothing more than playing good. Carmelo Anthony "played good". Cam Newton "played good". Mike Vick "played good". Mitch Marner "played good". These guys are all selfish bums who care about their brand and their stats. They do not care about winning and elevating teammates. Micah is like this group.

Kobe, Jordan, Brady, Crosby these are guys who cared only about wining. They demanded excellence from every single player on their team and they got it because they were accountable. They were the standard. They are excellence.

Micah is a clown show. Nothing but empty noise. Just like Zeke and Dez and D Flaw and Jaylon. The list goes on and on.

 

[Motorola]

Moving goal posts I see. So I guess these awards are just meaningless?

How is my post "moving the goalposts"?
From OGsixshooter's comment...the CZ member thought the players determined who is MVP or becomes All-Pro.
I just was pointing out that's not the case.
Since the NFL came into existence over a century ago (1920) it has always been news organizations, i.e. sportwriters, that voted on players being honored as "All-Pro".
The league MVP honor didn’t start until nearly two decades later (1938) - but it also is awarded on the results of sportwriters selected from around the country that followed the NFL.
Why would state the awards are "meaningless"?
The vast majority of the individuals are employed \ contracted to report single team year-round - plus keep up with the other 31 franchises as they go through playing each season.

 

[LOBO7]

Maybe if we could win a couple of playoff games it would suck him in.
A couple of playoff wins could solve a lot of problems with this team.

 

[Ranching]

Playing good is not leadership. It is nothing more than playing good. Carmelo Anthony "played good". Cam Newton "played good". Mike Vick "played good". Mitch Marner "played good". These guys are all selfish bums who care about their brand and their stats. They do not care about winning and elevating teammates. Micah is like this group.

Kobe, Jordan, Brady, Crosby these are guys who cared only about wining. They demanded excellence from every single player on their team and they got it because they were accountable. They were the standard. They are excellence.

Micah is a clown show. Nothing but empty noise. Just like Zeke and Dez and D Flaw and Jaylon. The list goes on and on.

I've seen it first hand...when you are part of a team and you see another player busting their butt and playing hurt....it definitely makes and impact.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Maybe if we could win a couple of playoff games it would suck him in.
A couple of playoff wins could solve a lot of problems with this team.

Thats the 1m dollar problem though, no one can really answer why this franchise keeps bowing out in the heat of the moment..we only know the 1 thing that has not been changed in the 30 year dry run...I know this, Micah is young and has already had highs and lows with this franchise...he has not been here 30 years so I'm pretty confident he is not the problem..maybe becomming a by product of the problem but he certaily is not THE problem..

 

[Mr_437]

Micah is fine and he doesn't have to be the leader imho. How much can a player lead with this type of ownership coaching from the luxury suite.

 

[RonnieT24]

I don't think Parsons can be a leader until his voice changes. Right now he sounds like a cross between Mike Tyson and Flava Flave. Aint nobody payin no attention anything he says at this point.

 

[HotDog37]

It's the gamer / social media / lets all be friends type mentality of many of today's NFL players - where they like to 'hang out' on each other's couches ... play Fortnite / COD / Madden and shoot the S*** (players from different teams). I would say 90% they care about getting the money bag 10% about winning it all (other than Kansas City and SF). The world has changed drastically over the past 15 years and professional sports along with it. Traditional rivalries are gone for the most part. Micah doesn't need to be a leader per say. just not be a knucklehead and show up big in the post season.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Parsons does not have the mental makeup to really be a leader right now IMO. He is an instinctual player and learns through action and repetition. He is OCD in a classroom setting.

When it comes to daily motivation and presenting an excellent competitive environment he already does that.

I do not see any of this as a problem. He will learn more slowly than other players but he is so athletically gifted he can afford to take his time. His work ethic is not in question.

Trying to put leadership on a player like this before he is ready is a mistake. Present it as something to consider but do not get upset when he is not ready. He is still a great player to have around.

 

[Jfconrow]

If they don’t guarantee Parsons 200mill. A Parsons jersey is going for $50 in the sale isle.