Dallas Déjà Vu: Micah Parsons Cowboys' Next DeMarcus Ware?
Dallas Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware was officially inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, with a wonderful speech about football and forgiveness. Now, based on his early resume, is Micah Parsons already following his path to Canton?
Ware spent 12 seasons in the NFL, suiting up for "America's Team" in nine of them, while with the Cowboys, he had 117 sacks and 145 tackles for loss. That's a 17-game season average of 14 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Coincidentally, through his first two seasons, per 17 games, Parsons has averaged 14 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, the exact numbers Ware put up while playing in Dallas. So ... what else must Parsons do to continue his ascension toward all-time-great status?
“I want to be known as one of the greatest Hall of Famers,” Parsons said. “There’s good, great and perfect … When you talk about me, I want to be one of the greatest in the Hall of Fame!”
Well, Ware was a seven-time All-Pro while playing for the Cowboys and a nine-time Pro Bowler. Through two seasons, Parsons has received both honors consecutively, but to really compete with Ware, he must reach some of the same towering heights that his predecessor did.
In 2008, Ware's fourth season, he had 20 sacks and 27 tackles for loss, finishing second in voting for the Defensive Player of The Year trophy. Although Parsons finished second in voting for both his rookie and second season, his numbers in this area do not quite compare to Ware's - again, just as a sack artist.
It's undeniable that Parsons is already off to one of the hottest career starts of any defender in NFL history - and he seems almost obsessed with wishing to be "dominant,'' a grand thing. But to reach Hall of Fame status, he must continue to take strides forward - statistically and maybe otherwise. Last year, Parsons' tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits all fell compared to when he was a rookie, but that doesn't mean he can't match or perhaps even surpass the legacy of Ware in the future.
Through their first two seasons, Parsons has averaged four more sacks and three more tackles for loss than Ware, meaning that his career has gotten off to a faster start than Ware's. Still, as the expression goes, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." Ware's career finished with a Hall of Fame resume, and now it's Parsons' turn to continue proving that he's the next great Dallas edge rusher.
You can follow Isaiah DeAnda Delgado on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads @IsaiahDDelgado.
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