Micah Parsons' worrying Mike Zimmer confession has Cowboys fans uneasy

No team in the NFL creates more June headlines than the Dallas Cowboys. While most of the talk about the Cowboys has surrounded CeeDee Lamb's contract, Micah Parsons made waves on Tuesday when he defended his decision to skip organized team activities.

Parsons clearly didn't take kindly to the criticism he faced from his absence. He likened his decision to that of the now-retired Aaron Donald, who missed Rams OTAs in 2017 before winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2017 and '18.

Though a valid argument from Parsons, he missed valuable time to catch up with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Training camp offers plenty of time for Parsons to learn Zimmer's scheme and get on the same page as Zimmer, but the All-Pro defender might have said too much when asked about how much he and Zimmer have talked in the lead up to mandatory minicamp.

Initially believed to be a dream pairing, it might be harder than Cowboys fans thought for Zimmer and Parsons to find common ground.

Cowboys' Micah Parsons makes concerning Mike Zimmer revelation at mandatory minicamp

“Honestly, me and Zim have probably said a total of 20 words together,” Parsons said, via the Dallas Morning News. “He’s a very quiet person. All I keep hearing from the coaches, ‘Zim likes it [like] this.’ . So I can’t wait to sit down with him because that would be pretty cool. Obviously, old school mindset, old school mentality. You know I think he’s had a lot of great players but he ain’t ever had a Micah.”

“Obviously, some things I’ve got to get used to, too. You know it’s going to be a compromising relationship.”

Mike McCarthy told reporters amid Parsons' OTA absence that Parsons had kept in touch with Cowboys coaches. That, evidently, did not include Zimmer. Parsons revealed that most of his dialogue involved Dallas' new defensive run-game coordinator Paul Guenther, a longtime Zimmer assistant.

Parsons stressed that he's "caught up," but Zimmer's scheme is almost polar opposite to the one Quinn installed three years ago. Zimmer is much more innovative and experimental than Quinn and he's on the record saying he wants to use Parsons in a variety of roles.

Will Parsons be receptive to those changes? His quote indicates he's willing to give some ground to Zimmer. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how an outspoken superstar like Parsons meshes with an old-school coach in Zimmer. The 68-year-old is a no-nonsense coach and holds all of his players accountable.

How Zimmer and Parsons interact will be one of the most fascinating storylines to watch once the Cowboys depart for Oxnard on July 22. Until then, Cowboys fans have a right to be uneasy given Parsons and Zimmer's relationship hasn't gotten off the ground yet.

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