Why Cowboys' Micah Parsons is 'Off Sack Wave,' Copying Rams' Aaron Donald
Too much of a good thing can be wonderful, but in at least one category, you won't convince Micah Parsons of that.
The Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher is in a sense looking to keep his quarterback takedowns in moderation this season after earning 26.5 in his first two NFL outings. Fans of "America's Team'' can nonetheless rest assured that Parsons intends to continue residing in the nightmares of opposing playmakers, albeit in a way that channels Los Angeles Rams defender Aaron Donald rather than, say, DeMarcus Ware.
"I'm kind of off the 'sack wave.' I'm onto the 'impact wave," Parsons declared "You see Aaron Donald. He can have 12 sacks, but the impact he makes is so dominant. You can tell. I really just want to be dominant.
"You see guys who have 16 to 17 sacks, but they're not considered 'a guy.' I want to be 'a guy,' not 'one of the guys."
To Parsons' point, Donald has acquired a historic sack total at 103, including a league-best 20.5 during the 2018 season. But in a nine-year career with the Rams franchise, Donald has ranked among the NFL's sack leaders on only five occasions, leading Los Angeles and the league in several other stat categories of both the traditional and advanced nature. He had only five last year while dealing with injuries during the Rams' woebegone Super Bowl defense.
It's perhaps part of Parsons' desire to play "eight different positions" for the Cowboys moving forward, going far beyond the mere "linebacker" often attached to his name.
Parsons pacing himself is a stark departure from last summer when he was expecting "at least 15" sacks. Nagging ailments caused him to fall 1.5 takedowns short of that lofty goal, though he nonetheless ranked seventh among all defenders last season.
It comes as a bit of a blow to anyone who was expecting to see Ware's single-season sack record of 20 fall after 15 seasons, but Parsons believes he's above the concept of merely chasing history.
"I'm not chasing for something," Parsons said. "I'm trying to achieve and be greater than someone who is chasing."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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