Micah Parsons sends message to Jalen Hurts, other QBs: 'I want all of them'

On3 imageby:Steve Samra09/22/21

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Micah Parsons had a tremendous game for the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. In his first game playing defensive end since high school, Parsons was unmatched in his ability to terrorize the quarterback in Week 2.

After ruining Justin Herbert’s day, Parsons has a message for every quarterback the Cowboys face. According to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Parsons is getting his Arnold Schwarzanegger on.

“Every quarterback (we face this season) is on the hit list. I want all of them. (Jalen) Hurts is on the hit list now, too. You got to look at it like you’re trying to be like The Terminator out there.”

As if the Cowboys matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles needed anymore juice, Parsons just provided it. The former Penn State linebacker will be looking to improve upon his performance against the Chargers, where he had four QB hits and a sack.

Cowboys coaches praise Parsons’ performance

Dan Quinn, the Cowboys defensive coordinator, was elated with what he saw from Parsons. Moreover, Quinn said that he wouldn’t have had Parsons make the switch if he didn’t think he would be able to handle it.

“I’m hard on him because I have a lot of belief and trust in him,” Quinn said of Parsons on Monday. “He’s a quick study. I was proud of him.”

One of Parsons’ biggest assets as a defensive player is his speed and physicality. He has the ability to play linebacker or defensive line — that was on full display.

“He can run and hit like a you know what,” Quinn said. “That’s his superpower. He’s got rare speed and physicality to do that. We want to make sure that we’re always featuring that part of his game.”

Parsons has shown that he is versatile enough to play multiple roles on the Cowboys’ defense. Additionally, Dallas special teams coordinator John Fassel said that the linebacker wants to try his hand at special teams.

“He thinks he can do everything. He literally wants to return kickoffs,” Fassel said. “And he wants to be the backup punter. He probably wants to play quarterback. Just a really fun kid, and I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

Parsons: ‘We can open the playbook even more’

Coming into the game, Parsons knew that he could be in line for a role at multiple positions across the Cowboys defense. Now with a strong performance on the line under his belt, he’s prepared for more packages in that role in the future.

“I knew most of my snaps would come from me rushing the passer. And I just took it head on from Thursday to today – to be ready to play at a high level,” Parsons said to reporters after the game. “After today, we can open the playbook even more.

“I think my teammates and Coach Q put an unbelievable amount of faith in me. And it just keeps building my confidence to believe I can do much more than I thought I could do.”

On3’s Jonathon Wagner contributed to this article.