The Cowboys’ defense doesn’t appear to be on the same page after a crushing home loss to Dallas on Sunday afternoon.
While the Cowboys can agree there is a problem or problems to fix (the New Orleans Saints earned a dominant 44-19 victory), defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and star Micah Parsons have conflicting explanations for what happened.
Parsons, who had three total tackles in the loss, attributed Dallas’ defensive woes to a lack of effort on his podcast Monday.
“There was no effort from all 11 (players) … At the end of the day, you have a standard of who you are during training camp and throughout this whole process to get ready for the season,” Parsons said. “We didn’t meet that standard.”
Micah Parsons on his @BleacherReport Podcast on the Cowboys’ 44-19 loss to the Saints: “There was no effort from all 11 players… There’s a standard… we didn’t hold ourselves to it… I’m determined to get this right.” photo.twitter.com/auymquUq0K
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 16, 2024
Zimmer dismissed the notion that the Cowboys’ effort was not up to par on Sunday.
“I don’t think it was an effort issue,” Zimmer said Monday, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “That team beat us on the opening kickoff a few times… We didn’t get moving fast enough… I just have to do a better job.”
While there’s a clear disconnect between Parsons and Zimmer, Parsons agreed they “weren’t flying to the ball” or “hitting the blocks” well enough against the Saints, who scored one touchdown on their first six drives of the game.
Parsons also defended Zimmer on social media after the loss. Zimmer, a former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, is in his first season with the Cowboys this fall.
“For me, it had nothing to do with the plan. I thought (Mike Zimmer) had a good game,” Parsons said after the game. via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram“In the end, I think they outplayed us. Whoever played on that pitch, not everyone played at 100%. I’m just responsible and telling the truth. We all have to play better.”
Parsons and the Cowboys will now turn their attention to the visiting Baltimore Ravens (0-2) for Week 3. In the meantime, correcting their defensive mistakes, whether they have to do with effort or not, will surely be a priority for Zimmer and Parsons in the coming days.