The Dallas Cowboys defense appears to be out of sync after their blowout loss on Sunday afternoon.
While they may agree that there is a problem or problems that need to be solved (the New Orleans Saints pulled off a convincing 44-19 victory over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium), defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and star forward Micah Parsons have conflicting explanations for what happened.
Of course, that’s not a good sign.
Parsons, who made three tackles in the loss, said on his podcast on Monday that their defensive issues were down to a lack of effort.
“The effort was not there for all 11 [players] … At the end of the day, you have a standard of who you are during training camp and during this process of getting ready for the season,” Parsons said. “We didn’t hold that standard high.”
Micah Parsons on his @BleacherReport podcast about the Cowboys’ 44-19 loss to the Saints: “Not all 11 players played their best. … You have a standard… we didn’t live up to that standard. … I’m determined to do this right.” photo.twitter.com/auymquUq0K
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 16, 2024
Zimmer, however, completely dismissed the idea that the Cowboys underperformed on Sunday.
“I don’t really think it was an effort thing,” Zimmer said Monday, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “That team beat us off the snap a couple times. … We didn’t get going fast enough. … I’ve just got to do a better job.”
While there is a clear rift between Parsons and Zimmer, Parsons did admit they “didn’t fly to the ball” or “block” 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.
“For me it had nothing to do with the plan. I thought [Mike Zimmer] “We played a pretty good game,” Parsons said after the game. “At the end of the day, I just believe we were outclassed. No matter who was on that field, not everybody was playing 100 percent. That’s just me being responsible and telling the truth. We’ve all got to play better.”
Parsons and the Cowboys will now turn their attention to the Baltimore Ravens, whom they host next Sunday. In the meantime, addressing their defensive deficiencies — whether it involves effort or not — will surely be at the forefront of both Zimmer and Parsons’ minds in the days ahead.
