DALLAS — Last May, inside a music store in Harrisburg, Pa., Micah Parsons’ mother recalled the time she asked her youngest child what his individual goals were for the NFL. He wanted to be an All-American at Penn State, earning his picture on the campus walls.
That happened.
She was curious what he envisioned next.
“And he said, “My goal now is I want to make Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year,’ ” Sherese Parsons said. “I’m excited to see what happens because he’s determined to make it. … One thing I do admire about Micah is he puts his mind to the things he wants to accomplish.”
Clearly.
On Thursday evening, the Cowboys linebacker unanimously became the first player in franchise history to be named Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’ll have to wait at least another year before becoming the first to win AP Defensive Player of the Year. He finished second to Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt in the NFL Honors awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Before the award show, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was announced as the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. His energy, communication and scheme breathed fresh air into a much-improved Dallas defense.
Neither award was a surprise.
Parsons, the No. 12 overall pick, all but sealed his recognition by the season’s midway point. He showcased a brand of versatility that many experts consider historically unparalleled, able to be dominant at both inside linebacker and edge defender as required game to game, down to down based on matchup, situation and roster need.
He joined J.J. Watt and DeMarcus Ware as the only NFL players in the past 15 years to record at least 80 tackles and 30 quarterback hits in the same season.
For the regular season, Parsons totaled 13 sacks, 67 quarterback pressures, 20 tackles for loss and nine forced throwaways. Each stat ranked in the top 10 across the NFL despite his 307 pass-rush attempts ranking 118th.
Parsons, wearing a gold lion medallion around his neck, and son Malcolm were in attendance Thursday. The same 50 AP voters who decide Defensive Rookie of the Year already chose Parsons as the only rookie to be recognized as first-team All-Pro in January.
Four different Cowboys players have been named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Calvin Hill (1969), Tony Dorsett (1977), Emmitt Smith (1990) and Prescott (2016). Quinn is the first Cowboys coach to win the AP assistant award since it first was bestowed in 2014.
