Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has upped the ante with teammate DeMarcus Lawrence ahead of this upcoming season.
To say that Micah Parsons' debut season in the NFL was a success on a personal level would certainly be something of an understatement, as the #12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft exploded onto the stage with the Dallas Cowboys.
Able to play both linebacker and defensive end, he caused havoc for offenses across the league as he put up some incredible numbers, including 84 combined tackles, 13 sacks - a rookie record for the Cowboys - and 3 forced fumbles as he helped the Cowboys make the playoffs with a 12-5 record.
His numbers earned him a lot of recognition, as he was named 1st-team All-Pro, named to the Pro-Bowl and was the unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year whilst also finishing 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
What comes next?
If those numbers are anything to go by, then his second year, now that he’s gotten used to the pace and power of the NFL, could see him become one of the premier defenders in the NFL, if he wasn’t that already:
And it looks as if teammate DeMarcus Lawrence is already in the process of trying to get him motivated ahead of the season.
Raising the stakes
Speaking in an interview with USA Today, Lawrence didn’t seem to take too kindly to the idea of a rookie being the team’s leader in sacks, stating
“I let a rookie show me up last year. Shout out to my boy Micah. But (I want to) restate my dominance. Let everybody know that I’m coming, how I feel and the type of respect I’m going to demand when I step on that field.â€
And Parsons seemed only too happy to take on the challenge, as he responded with a challenge of his own:
“I’m sorry to tell him he’s never getting that (the sack lead) back. I want him to get all the enjoyment that he possibly can, feed his head so he can be a 10-sack guy. But if 10’s the number, I’m going for 20.â€
The phrase ‘iron sharpens iron’ comes to mind with these two, and if these two are in a constant battle to one-up each other all season, then the Dallas defence could be very frightening indeed.