Micah Parsons and Dak Prescott are going hand-in-hand currently, as they both seek their contract from the Dallas Cowboys. However, as the team hasn’t reached any conclusion, their fate hangs in the balance. Despite that, Parsons is confident enough to claim that he is in his mid-season form already.

The 25-year-old said, “I’m in rhythm now. The first few days (of camp), I hadn’t played in seven, eight months. (But now), I know my angles. I feel like I’m in Week 4 right now. I’m in the backfield all day….If they (offense) don’t chip (block) me, there’ll be five or six sacks every day. It’s pretty much, I’m going to tell you right now.” Really? Is Parsons really in his mid-season form and can appear as a great linebacker for the opponents? Well, Colin Cowherd believes he isn’t, giving him a reality check.

Does Micah Parsons appear weaker when facing strong teams?

In a recent episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on August 6, 2024, the host critiqued Micah Parsons, suggesting that while Parsons can be dominant, his performance against top teams doesn’t always match his hype. Cowherd first narrated the Parsons’ statements, saying, “Micah Parsons apparently yesterday in practice just discombobulated the Cowboys offense. He said I’m eating now, it’s pretty much over. I’m in Rhythm. I can single-handedly wreck the Cowboys offense.” The analyst stopped here and questioned “Really?”

Explaining why he thinks Parsons still lacks depth, Cowherd highlighted, “Micah Parsons is productive, very good against really bad teams, and then disappears in January. Heard that before? [Dak].” The media vet likened him to Dak Prescott who too has had good regular seasons, but when it comes to the playoffs, he fails (having a 2-5 record in the playoffs).

Highlighting Parsons’ poor performance further, the analyst said, “His biggest sack game was against awful Carolina. In fact, half of his sacks came against Washington, the Jets, and Carolina.” Despite being impressive against weaker teams, Cowherd believes Parsons has had less impact in high-stakes games, with only one sack in four playoff games. In addition to that, the 60-year-old mentioned, “In four playoff games he has one sack, and is often invisible. He disappears in January.”

Cowherd pointed out that Parsons seemed to struggle in key games against strong opponents like the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers. While playing against the Packers, Parsons had only “two total tackles, zero sacks, he was invisible. He was also invisible mostly against Detroit, no sacks. And the Niners, no sacks and two pressures.”

The Fox vet argued that while Parsons is “talented like Dak, he’s not a savior,” because he hasn’t yet proven himself to be a game-changer against the toughest competition, comparing him to other great players like Miles Garrett and TJ Watt.

On the other hand, Dak Prescott too is a good quarterback. However, he is not counted in the class of elite quarterbacks. Despite leading the passing touchdowns (36) in 2023, he is still not considered as someone on whom the team can rely. This is evident from LeSean McCoy’s 2023 remarks when Prescott “threw a league-high 15 interceptions in just 12 games played a season ago.” McCoy said, “You can’t win with a guy like that.” However, Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, believes in him and will likely make a final deal with him.

Meanwhile, despite Cowherd’s stance on Parsons’ situation, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy believes in what Parsons said about himself, after his transformation.

Micah Parsons lost some weight

Micah Parsons is turning heads at the Cowboys’ training camp. Every time he hits the field, he is bringing energy and enthusiasm. According to the reports, since dropping 10 pounds to get back to his college weight of 240 pounds, the linebacker has been a nightmare for the Dallas offense during practice. And hence, he feels he is already in the middle of the season, and a dominant force of the team’s defense. Head coach Mike McCarthy too, noted that Parsons’ lighter weight and relentless motor are making a huge difference.

McCarthy said, “I mean, he’s, he’s got an incredible motor on him, and his ability to cut the corners. We had a really, really cold blitz pattern yesterday. It was at the first time, they ran it…..we’re definitely doing things to try to help him.” Now working under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, Parsons is thriving in a system that lets Chim move around the field more freely. As a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, he’s already a standout in the league, with 213 tackles and 40.5 sacks in just three seasons, as per McCarthy.

However, the coach still noted that despite Parsons’ impressive “flash plays,” both he and the team have room for improvement. What’s your take on Micah Parsons’ transformation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.