Micah Parsons throws Dan Quinn under the bus after Mike Zimmer hire

The hire of Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator has sparked excitement in a Dallas Cowboys fan base that had been defeated following the team's wild card loss. Of course, it was that defeat that caused many fans to lose faith entirely in Dan Quinn as the leader of the defense.

While there's no defending the offense's performance in that game, Quinn's defense didn't give the Cowboys a chance. No, Quinn can't execute the game plan for his players, but it was obvious in real time that the newly-minted Commanders head coach devised a nightmare plan to foil the Packers.

We don't need to revisit the loss in detail, but Quinn's personnel groupings and puzzling switch to zone defense after asking the secondary to play man coverage during the regular season were just some of his questionable judgement calls.

Long story short, it was time for a change. Zimmer's demand for accountability will be a refreshing change to Quinn, who's considered a player's coach. Appearing on the Stephen A. Smith Show, Micah Parsons touched on his excitement to player under a no-nonsense coach like Zimmer.

Did Cowboys star Micah Parsons throw Dan Quinn under the bus in praising Mike Zimmer?

"I just want to play winning football. I want everybody to be accountable. I want everybody locked in. What I hear is Zimmer's one of them guys that's gonna have everybody accountable. ... I just want a fresh start. I just want to change the culture, identity of the Dallas Cowboys and win a championship."

In fairness to Parsons, he offered a Quinn disclaimer before praising Zimmer. He referred to Quinn as an uncle, father and a friend. That, though, might've been part of the "culture" problem Parsons referenced.

It's no secret that Quinn gets along great with his players. That's not to say Quinn didn't hold his players accountable, but Zimmer isn't here to be your friend. He said so during his introductory press conference. Cowboys great Darren Woodson even warned players that Zimmer might rub them the wrong way at first.

"He's going to do it in a way where you're going to have to be tough and show up to practice with a tough mindset," Woodson said of Zimmer. "He's going to challenge you. He's not going to be their friend. He's going to put you in positions where you're probably not going to like him, but you're going to respect him."

Woodson's quote checks all of the boxes on Parsons' wishlist, does it not? If you were to analyze the Cowboys' recent playoff failures and losses in big regular season games on the road, a lack of accountability and mental fortitude amid adversity were two massive missing pieces. Zimmer should move mountains in that regard.

Parsons obviously isn't dumping all of the Cowboys' recent shortcomings on Quinn. But in saying the team needs a fresh start, a culture change and more accountability, he did throw his former DC under the bus just a smidge even if that wasn't his intent.

There's a new DC in Dallas now and you can start profiting on next year today with BetMGM's INSTANT $150 sign-up bonus! Just deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on any Cowboys futures wager and you'll immediately get $150 in bonus bets simply for placing the wager. Sign up for BetMGM now!

More Cowboys news and analysis