Cowboys' Micah Parsons & Mazi Smith Copying 'Rams Playbook'?
OXNARD, Calif. - Just up the road from where the Los Angeles Rams camp out, the Dallas Cowboys are trying to follow in their footsteps. By winning a championship, sure. But maybe also by developing "The Next Suh.'' Or for that matter, "The Next Donald.''
First-round rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith figures as an immediate help for coordinator Dan Quinn's defense as a wide body to stop the run.
But what if the Michigan man matures in to an even more well-rounded and frightening defensive weapon? What if Mazi starts to unveil himself as “The Next Suh”? It’s an admittedly “crazy” notion that the Cowboys themselves haven’t really put voice to. But “Baldy” has done so.
“I I thought they needed help in the draft,” analyst Brian Baldinger recently said on NFL Total Access. “Mazi Smith, maybe he can be a young Ndamukong Suh and give you pressure up the middle - that’s what (Micah Parsons) needs.
Ah, Micah Parsons - who has already spoken often about wanting to impact games - whether as a linebacker or a defensive end or whatever - in the way Aaron Donald does. ... Yes, that one is easy to envision, because Parsons has been in the NFL for two years and has already been a Defensive Player of the Year finalist in both of them.
Meanwhile, what have the Cowboys said about Mazi Smith’s versatility? "We said this during the evaluation process: We feel there's a lot more pass-rush potential in his body than based on the opportunities he has shown in his college career," Dallas coach McCarthy said.
“A young Ndamukong Suh”? That’s a lofty goal; Suh, 34, (and presently a free agent) is among the most fearsome forces of his generation. He was the No. 2 player taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. He’s on the All-Decade Team and has 71.5 career sacks and plays angry.
“Mazi as Suh”? Smith js 6-3, 337, Suh 6-4, 320. So there’s that. Could Smith follow in the footsteps of predecessor Micah, who was drafted here as a linebacker but has stunned even his own team by becoming a potential sack king? Parsons, as he targets a more extended stay at defensive end, is doing the work to back up his talk.
And Mazi talk? When it comes to “playing angry,” we’re reminded of one of the first things he said upon becoming a Cowboy …
"Let's get to work, please," Mazi said upon entering The Star in Frisco. “I'm ready to hit somebody in their face. I'm not playing."
The Dallas Cowboys are copying a couple of pages from the Rams' championship playbook - and are smart to do so.
