FRISCO, Texas – The storyline just writes itself.
Micah Parsons has a legitimate chance to become only the second rookie in NFL history to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
The first to accomplish that incredible feat? Lawrence Taylor in 1981.
Where are the Cowboys playing this Sunday? At the Giants, where Taylor dominated opposing quarterbacks for 13 seasons on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It's a fun story, and naturally, the Parsons-L.T. comparisons are gaining steam.
Parsons says slow down a little.
"I would definitely say it's real too early," he said after Wednesday's practice. "I could see the similarities, but L.T. was completely different, man. It's an honor that people are doing that, but to be compared to a Hall of Famer so early on it's just not ready to be in the conversation yet.
"It's a long way to go. He had 142 (sacks), so I have 130 more to go before we just start saying, 'Yeah that was L.T.' Let's just chill and keep enjoying the work that I keep putting in to get there."
With four games left in the regular season, Parsons is only 2.5 sacks away from tying Jevon Kearse's NFL rookie record of 14.5. He's also the third rookie in league history to post at least one sack in six straight games.
Parsons' talent is obvious. So is his hunger for greatness.
After Sunday's 27-20 win over Washington, in which Parsons tallied two more sacks to bring his season total to 12, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said he got a text from the rookie linebacker/defensive end.
"'What do we got this week?'" Quinn recalled.
"That tells me that he's down for a challenge and what we got to get done. I said, 'Hey man, I'm still grading this game, so I'll get back to you. Give me a minute.' It's 9:30 in the morning. But I think that kind of attitude shows that he's willing to go, because it's not so easy to learn pass rush stunts and blitz package at D-end and linebacker."
Parsons has made it look easy alternating between both positions. Like any rookie season, though, it hasn't been perfectly smooth. During the bye week, he was frustrated with his own performance, wanting to make more impactful plays, and sharpened his focus even more.
"That drive I have inside of me, wanting to be great, wanting to do more, wanting more on my plate just comes with me just wanting to do this. I always talk about my destiny. I feel like I am destined to do this. And that is why I put so much time into it. I just want to be a winner. I want to be something."
Parsons doesn't want to compare himself to L.T. or any NFL greats. But he admits that joining Taylor as the second Defensive Rookie/Defensive Player of the Year ever "would be an extreme honor."
"It sounds good right now, but I've still got to finish," he said. "We've still got a long stretch left and I've got to keep doing what I'm doing to even think about those types of things, and finish the season off strong. There's still a lot of work to put in, and other guys around the league are dominating still."FRISCO, Texas – The storyline just writes itself.
