Micah Parsons watches Mike Tyson videos, other GOATs for motivation

Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons dominates when he plays games. The young player has a hunger and desire that some of the best in the league can’t even match. The linebacker is heavily motivated and is always ready for the next plan of attack. Even in seemingly meaningless competitions, like the NFL Pro Bowl’s Fastest Man competition, Parsons cannot seem to back down from a challenge.

The kid just loves to win. A quality embodied by some of the greatest athletes in the world. So when Rich Eisen asked him where his ability to “wreck a game” comes from, it’s no surprise that the Cowboy said he gets motivation from some of the greatest in the world. First, Parsons mentioned his often-talked-about fascination with animal videos. The self-proclaimed “Lion” watches animal documentaries and listens to the words on how these animals stalk their prey and kill before games. Parsons literally said he wants to adopt the “killer mindset.”

The rookie said he loves learning and likes to watch videos that help him grasp the mindset of how to be a killer. Intriguing. Aside from lion videos, he also listens to interviews and watches videos of GOATs like Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. Parsons even said he watches military videos because “those are trained killers.”

The Penn State product said he watches those videos throughout the week. However, his favorite video to listen to right before a game is the Mike Tyson one in the tweet below. Parsons said he learned from this video to stare quarterbacks in the eyes to intimidate them. When they look down, he knows they’re scared.

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons says he watches videos of GOATs like Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan before games to get himself in “the killer mindset”

Whatever motivates you, right? Clearly, it’s working! Then Parsons and Eisen get themselves into a staring contest and after a bit, the broadcaster admitted he was uncomfortable. Parsons also said these videos help teach him to get away from fear.

He told Eisen and his co-hosts that he wants the best and toughest matchups. If the Cowboys are playing the Niners, Parsons wants to line up wherever Deebo Samuel is. If they’re playing Minnesota, he wants to line up against Dalvin Cook. Whether that makes him an edge rusher or linebacker at the start of the snap, the young gun wants to be there. He wants to impact the game by being the best against the best.

The amount of confidence this kid has is inspiring. When you listen to him, there is no doubt that he believes in himself and he has done the learning and research to get himself in a mentality to be better than players with plenty more experience than him. Maybe Parsons needs to bring his laptop to the field and show his teammates these videos. There are a few Cowboys who could use the same hunger the rookie has.