Micah Parsons will not be short on motivation when the Dallas Cowboys get back on the field next season.
The superstar linebacker finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting announced on Thursday night. However, the surprising part was that he did not receive a single first-place vote, despite being the odds-on favorite for part of the year.
AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting breakdown:
5 points for 1st; 3 points for 2nd; 1 point for 3rd.
First-place votes:
1. Sauce Gardner – 46
2. Aidan Hutchinson – 3
3. Tariq Woolen – 1
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa — who won the award — garnered 46 first-place votes, while Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones (1), Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (2) and New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (1) each got some love.
Parsons got 30 second-place votes and 11 third-place votes, which easily pushed him into the runner-up position for a second consecutive year. That didn’t sit well with Parsons, who was very vocal about the award this season. He took to Twitter to voice his opinion.
“Sayless y’all gonna see me next year,” Parsons — who was on-site for the NFL Honors show — tweeted.
Parsons also got some support from his teammates on social media.
“Micah is the best player in the NFL. Period,” Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs tweeted after the results were announced.
Parsons retweeted Diggs, saying, “Don’t worry brother!!” with a GIF of Muhammad Ali’s famous quote, “I’ll show you how great I am.”
Parsons Wants to be One of the Greats
Parsons has already built up quite the resume and reputation in two seasons, helping transform the Cowboys’ defense into one of the best units in the league. The former No. 12 overall pick has big-time aspirations for the rest of his career, wanting his name mentioned with the greats.
“There’s always that thing where they say, ‘I don’t want you to be like me. I want you to be better than me.’ So my goal is to be the best,” Parsons told ESPN. “It’s not to be representing. I want to be in my own category.
“Like you don’t put Kobe [Bryant] in the same category as you do LeBron [James in the NBA]. Or you don’t put LeBron in the same category. Even though you’ve known them as great players, they’re not in the same box. They created their own style, their own vision of how they want to play the game. That’s how I want to be remembered. I want to bring my own style, my own vision, my own passion for the game.”
Parsons played on and off the ball but was most feared when he was getting after the quarterback. He notched 13.5 sacks this season and was credited with 69 quarterback pressures.
Cowboys Great DeMarcus Ware Gets HOF Nod
While Parsons didn’t pick up any hardware on Friday during the awards, former Cowboys great DeMarcus Ware was elected to the Hall of Fame. Ware played for the Cowboys from 2005-13 and is ninth all-time in sacks (138.5).
“His approach to the game, on and off the field, embodied all the traits it takes to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “He was a ferocious pass rusher on the field and a true leader and role model in the locker room and in the community. We knew from the first moment he stepped on the practice field that DeMarcus was destined for greatness.”
The other modern-era players to get their gold jackets were Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis, Ronde Barber and Zach Thomas.
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Cowboys Star Micah Parsons Sends Warning to Rest of NFL After Snub