Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer, star Micah Parsons on different pages about defensive issues after blowout loss vs. Saints

Ryan Young

The Cowboys' defense doesn’t seem to be on the same page after Dallas' blowout home loss on Sunday afternoon.

While the Cowboys can agree that there is an issue or issues to be fixed — the New Orleans Saints rolled to a dominant 44-19 victory — defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and star Micah Parsons have contradictory explanations for what happened.

Parsons, who had three total tackles in the loss, chalked up Dallas' defensive woes to a lack of effort on his podcast 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.”

Zimmer 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 clear disconnect between Parsons and Zimmer, Parsons agreed 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 visiting Baltimore Ravens (0-2) for Week 3. In the meantime, fixing their defensive lapses — whether it has to do with effort or not — is sure to be front of mind for Zimmer and Parsons in the coming days.

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