Cowboys news: Dan Quinn coached Micah Parsons to be “reckless”

Plus other Cowboys news and analyst from around the team.

How Quinn Groomed Parsons To Play “Reckless” – Jonny Auping, Dallascowboys.com

There is no question that having Dan Quinn mentoring Micah Parsons has helped the young stars development.

After a 4-1 start and a pleasantly surprising number of turnovers, it’s easy to spread around the credit for the Dallas Cowboys’ strong defense thus far this season. But coming off of a nightmarish defensive performance for most of the 2020 season, the reality is that one man, Dan Quinn, was brought in to fix the defense, and he was given one significant defensive addition to help him do that: Micah Parsons.

That’s a lot to ask of a man who doesn’t suit up (except, apparently in practice sometimes when he’ll throw on a helmet to work with his players), and it’s even more to ask of a 22-year-old linebacker. But Parsons’ personality is almost as apparent as his unmatched speed. He knows how to find the guy with the ball and he wants to get to him, especially when it’s the quarterback.

Since just about the moment he was drafted, Quinn has been honing that eagerness in Parsons and shaping it into various ways he could unleash on offenses. The results have spoken for themselves: Parsons has 3.5 sacks and 20 tackles in five games.

Parsons said on Wednesday that he was playing middle linebacker when he first showed up to Cowboys’ activities in the spring. Quinn told him he wanted to get him a rep along the defensive line and Parsons remembers putting “a good move on the tackle” and Quinn telling him “I like that.” Then, in training camp, Quinn would pull Parsons aside to tell him “I want to see you do this…” before sticking him at defensive end or lining him up someplace he wasn’t used to.

…

“He lets me use my speed and play reckless,” Parsons said. “He allows me to play to my strengths.”

Cowboys LT Tyron Smith (neck) has MRI; latest injury updates for Trevon Diggs, Ezekiel Elliott – David Moore, DMN

There is a little concern whenever Tyron Smith and injured neck are said in the same sentence.

Tyron Smith, in his words, went into this season “full-go and feeling good.’’

The Cowboys left tackle discarded the neck roll he had worn the previous four seasons and declared his troublesome neck felt as good as it had since any point since college. He was his dominant self in the first five games of the season and there were no signs of concern.

Until Thursday.

Smith popped up on the practice report for the first time this season with a neck injury. He was limited and underwent an MRI after practice, sources said.

Reports are that Smith should play on Sunday.

Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott making up for 2020 and then some with dominant performances during winning streak – Patrik Walker, CBS Sports

All offseason long the discussion was about the motivation and focus Zeke has shown. It surely has paid off early on this season.

Ezekiel Elliott is running away from all opposition in 2021, but what he isn’t running from is accountability. The two-time NFL rushing champ invoked a highly intense and strict conditioning regimen this past offseason, one that led to quarterback Dak Prescott describing Elliott in June as being in “the best shape of his life,” and Elliott himself warning he’s “quicker” and having “a lot to prove” this season. After a slow start in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — which was by design, as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore held him to just 11 carries in the absence of perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and in the face of the league’s best run defense — Elliott has been on a tear during the Cowboys’ four-game win streak.

Elliott has amassed 468 yards from scrimmage with six touchdowns in his last four games combined. Even stacked boxes aren’t stopping him, as defenders struggle to take him down once they have a chance to do so. Those concerned about his alleged lack of burst have also seen those worries put to bed, and without a night light, as the three-time Pro Bowler has readily put his quickness and speed on display with big gains and shifty jukes, and it’s all a nod to Elliott’s offseason motivation to make a statement that he’s still one of the best halfbacks in all of football.

He went back into the lab and refashioned himself as an apparent cyborg.

“I’d say this year a lot of it was about my body,” Elliott said Wednesday, three days after helping bury the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium in Week 5. “A lot of it was just making sure I was ready to come in and make up for my s—t show last year.”

Notes: Kazee Update, Dak Keeping Focus; More – Dallascowboys.com

Get caught up on the latest news from practice and around the team.

FRISCO, Texas – The go-to line about the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick is that they’re going to take away what you do best. As Dak Prescott said on Thursday, they’re good at taking away your fastball.

That raises an obvious question, though. For a team with so many options on offense, what exactly is the Cowboys’ fastball? Prescott suggested it’s more about attitude than personnel.

“I think if anything, it’s our selflessness,” he said. “Guys just being unselfish and wanting to see the team have success. That could be our fastball.”

The Cowboys have been running the ball better than just about anyone in the league the past month, accumulating 804 yards on the ground during this win streak. But as they showed in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, they’re plenty capable of airing it out. That selfless attitude should come in handy as they figure out on Sunday what will be required to come out with a win.

“It depends on the game and that’s credit to the coaches and men in the locker room,” Prescott said. “We prepare week in and week out, obviously come in with an approach to be balanced run and pass and if we need to lean on one more than the other, we’re going to do that.”

Dallas Cowboys: Dear Cowboys Nation, take it one game at a time – Dink Kearney, Sport DFW

This season has had a special start, but lets not get ahead of ourselves, there is still a lot of football to be played.

Five games into the 2021season, the Dallas Cowboys have a 4-1 record, lead the NFC East by two games, has the number two offense, are ranked 14th in defense, and are one of the league leaders in takeaways with 12. The offense is averaging over 30 points a game- scoring 41, 36, and 44 points in their last three victories.

Oh, and the Dallas Cowboys are doing this without some of their key starters and contributors. For example, the Cowboys are missing wide receiver Michael Gallup, offensive lineman La’el Collins, defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Bradlee Anae, rookie corner Kelvin Joseph, and safety Donovan Wilson among others. Just imagine how much better the Cowboys will be once all of those players return. My Gawd!

Considering the Dallas Cowboys will be favored in the majority of their upcoming games, you can understand the excitement of Cowboys fans from predicting everything from how many games the Cowboys will win and who they might face in the NFC Championship game.

Dear Dallas Cowboys fans, hold your horses and just enjoy this ride one game at a time.

With a 4-1 record, winning four games in a row, and leading the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys fans are already predicting how far this team will go into the playoffs instead of focusing on one game at a time.

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