The Dallas Cowboys defense doesn’t appear to be on the same page after their crushing loss on Sunday afternoon.
While they may agree there is a problem or problems to fix (the New Orleans Saints pulled out a dominant 44-19 win over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium), defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and star Micah Parsons have conflicting explanations for what happened.
That, obviously, is not a good sign.
Parsons, who had three total tackles in the loss, simply attributed his defensive struggles 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, on the other hand, completely 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 that they “weren’t flying to the ball” or “blocking” 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 Minnesota Vikings head coach, 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. “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 Baltimore Ravens, who they host on Sunday. In the meantime, fixing their defensive lapses (whether they have to do with effort or not) will surely be a priority for Zimmer and Parsons in the coming days.
