ARLINGTON, Texas – To hear it from Micah Parsons, the fun part is still to come.
The Cowboys' electric rookie linebacker finished up his third – and likely final – preseason game on Saturday against Houston. And despite playing virtually the entire first half, Parsons is confident there's plenty more he can do.
"I feel like I wasn't even fully go-go yet. I feel like the leash is still on," he said. "But we going to let it off soon."
Statistically, it wasn't even that big of a night. Parsons finished with two tackles while helping the Cowboys' defense hold the Houston offense to just seven first half points.
Still, the athleticism that has made him the talk of camp was on full display. One of the biggest highlights of the first half came on a 3rd-and-5 in the final minutes of the first quarter. Parsons lined up over Houston center Justin Britt and bull rushed him, defeating the block and chasing Tyrod Taylor out of the pocket and toward the sideline, where he fired incomplete.
It shows up on the stat sheet as an incomplete pass, but it was the perfect showcase of the type of power and athleticism Parsons brings to this defense. When that ability is combined with the pass rush prowess of guys like DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, who didn't factor heavily in this game, it could produce some enticing results.
"You never know if I'm coming or dropping back," Parsons said. "You can make a team go with a five front, plus we've got guys like D-Law and Greg that's going to be playing this year and getting one-on-ones. That's going to be nice. Everybody winning their one-on-one and you just make a play."
With all of that in mind, it's understandable if Parsons isn't impressed. The Cowboys aren't interested in showing their hand during preseason, but even their most basic concepts are providing Parsons with a chance to show off.
"We're just being very limited right now, not trying to show too much and things like that," he said. "I'm kind of just biting my tongue because I know what we're really capable of."
Fortunately for him, the real games are finally visible on the horizon. The wait won't last much longer.
