The Dallas Cowboys defense doesn’t seem to be on the same page after their blowout loss on Sunday afternoon.
While they can agree that there is an issue or issues to be fixed — the New Orleans Saints rolled to a dominant 44-19 win over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium — defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and star Micah Parsons have contradictory explanations for what happened.
That, obviously, isn’t a great sign.
Parsons, who had three total tackles in the loss, simply chalked up their defensive woes to a lack of effort on his podcast on Monday.
“The effort was not there by all 11 [players] … At the end of the day, you have a standard of who you are during training camp and throughout this process to get you ready for the season,” Parsons said. “We didn’t uphold that standard.”
Micah Parsons on his @BleacherReport podcast on the Cowboys’ 44-19 loss to the Saints: “The effort was not there by all 11. … You have a standard … we didn’t uphold that standard. … I’m determined to get this thing right.” pic.twitter.com/auymquUq0K
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 16, 2024
Zimmer, on the other hand, completely shot down the idea that the Cowboys’ effort wasn’t there on Sunday.
“I don’t really think it was an effort issue,” Zimmer said on Monday, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “That team beat us off the snap quite a few times … We didn’t get moving quick enough … I just got to do a better job.”
Though there’s a very clear disconnect between Parsons and Zimmer, Parsons did agree that they “weren’t flying to the ball” or “striking blocks” well enough against the Saints — who scored a touchdown on their first six drives of the game.
Parsons also defended Zimmer on social media after the loss. Zimmer, the former Minnesota Vikings head coach, is in his first season with the Cowboys this fall.
“To me, it had nothing to do with the scheme. I thought [Mike Zimmer] called a pretty good game,” Parsons said after the game, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “At the end of the day, I just believe we got outplayed. Whoever played on that field, everyone didn’t play to 100%. That’s just me being accountable and saying the truth. We all got to play better.”
Parsons and the Cowboys will now turn their attention to the Baltimore Ravens, who they will host next on Sunday. In the meantime, fixing their defensive lapses — whether it has to do with effort or not — is sure to be front of mind for both Zimmer and Parsons in the coming days.
