Jimmy Johnson once cut a special teams player because he was sleeping during a Dallas Cowboys team meeting. Johnson was later asked what he would have done if he caught Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman sleeping during a meeting.
“Simple,” he said during NFL Network’s “A Football Life: Jimmy Johnson.” “I would have walked back there, and I would have said, ‘Troy, wake up.’ And I would’ve gone back to my seat.”
There are different rules for different players. The most talented have always been able to get away with more.
Bill Belichick has a similar story about Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor showing up late to a meeting while Belichick was the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator. When Belichick, who recently shared the story on an NFL Network “NFL 100” show, told Giants head coach Bill Parcells that Taylor was late, Parcells responded: “Well, why did you start the meeting before he got there?”
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Micah Parsons gets to play by a different set of rules for the Cowboys. One of the league’s best defensive players was not at The Star on Thursday for the second week of organized team activities. He was not in attendance last week, either. This portion of the offseason program is voluntary. However, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy estimates 98 percent of the team has been in attendance.
This decision will not impact Parsons’ place on the team or the number of snaps he gets during the season. But it’s probably not a great idea for defensive linemen like Chauncey Golston, Viliami Fehoko or Sam Williams to try to follow the Parsons offseason plan.
Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has not attended OTAs as he seeks a new contract, entering the final year of his rookie deal. Parsons has two years left on his rookie contract.
The Cowboys would prefer that the three-time All-Pro pass rusher was in attendance, especially as they implement defensive changes under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
“I think any time you have a chance to be together it’s an opportunity to improve,” McCarthy said Thursday, “whether it’s in the mental realm, the physical realm, which is limited obviously for this time of year, but also the emotional connection and so forth. But it’s a long year. Training camp is really the heightened focus for all of that. But, yeah, it’s definitely an opportunity that’s been missed.”
McCarthy has remained in contact with Parsons, who has been working out on his own. McCarthy said Parsons “looks to be in really good shape.”
“It’s a new defense,” he added. “We have work to do. He’s engaged. We’ll be ready when it’s time. I have confidence in that.”
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During a Bleacher Report “The Edge” podcast episode that Parsons recorded with Lamb in February, the two star players discussed what is missing in Dallas. They talked about leaders needing to step up.
“We need to have way more accountability,” Parsons said. “I just think we let things slide too often because we know we’re good. That’s all about me. I want to change the culture. I want to change the identity of what the Cowboys are. Cut the extra stuff out, I just want people to lock in for 22 weeks. Seven months can change your life. And I’m ready.”
Maybe OTA attendance has nothing to do with changing the culture or identity. Having 100 percent offseason attendance might not be the difference-maker that finally gets the franchise back to the Super Bowl for the first time in almost 30 years.
But it does seem like there would be benefits from having a player of Parsons’ ability and accomplishments working with his teammates this time of year.
“At the end of the day, everybody has a responsibility,” McCarthy said. “This is our jobs. Obviously, we have this period of time to do football activity that’s regulated. Ninety-eight percent of our football team has been here 100 percent of the time, so we’ve accomplished a lot.
“Everybody has a responsibility, whether they’re here or not here, to get what they need because when we get to Oxnard, that’s our one opportunity for real football. That’s the way we approach it. I have confidence that everybody is going to be ready to go when we get there.”
(Photo: John Byrum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
