Micah Parsons vs. Bosa Defensive Player of the Year? Cowboys Case Made by Coach Mike McCarthy
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has given his thoughts on the Defensive Player of the Year award. With "Lion-Backer" Micah Parsons one of the favorites for the prize alongside Nick Bosa from the San Francisco 49ers, there is little to separate the two defensive beasts.
Both are game-wreckers, and for McCarthy, although Parsons' production has dropped off "stat-wise" in recent weeks, he is still doing plenty that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.
"I think he's done so much so fast, and I think he's had that level of production for the season," McCarthy said. "He gets a tremendous amount of attention; he impacts the game even when it doesn't show up on the stat chart."
Parsons started the season in blistering fashion as he registered eight sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 14 quarterback hits in the first seven games. But the physical toll of playing as a pass rusher has caught up with him ... and he is dealing with a hand injury this week as he popped up on the injury report this week.
He still has five sacks in his last six games to take his total to 13 (equaling his career-best), but McCarthy says that Parsons brings so much more to the table than just sacks.
He hunts.
"The biggest thing for Micah is his ability on a couple of those scrambles the past week," McCarthy said. "The way he closes down and runs down the quarterback, he can make plays all over the field. You look at the play he made against Detroit. [He's] an impact player, definitely plays at an elite level, and makes everyone around him better."
So, of course, does the Niners' Nick Bosa, and he has a career-high of 17.5 sacks. Strictly by the numbers, Bosa probably wins.
With two games remaining in the regular season, Parsons has a chance to put his best case forward for the award, but is Parsons himself thinking about winning it?
"No, because I think at that point I'll be focused on the Super Bowl," Parsons said. "That type of stuff comes with it, but I just play football and give my heart to the game and whatever comes with it comes with it."
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