Dallas, TX
Micah Parsons speaks on dominant Cowboys’ defensive display vs. Browns
CLEVELAND — It was slated to be a dog fight when the Dallas Cowboys met the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Stadium to open the NFL regular season, but the latter got put in a kennel early and often as the former went rabid in their attack, and that is especially true for Micah Parsons and Mike Zimmer’s defense.
The world got its first look at what the unit might be capable of under Zimmer, and against a highly-mobile playmaking quarterback in Deshaun Watson with his stable of weapons — including five-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper and newly-acquired wideout Jerry Jeudy — wherein Parsons helped lead a brutal onslaught of pressure.
They allowed only one first down in the entire first half and ultimately only 17 points the entire game; and Parsons (agreeing with All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs after the game) says they’re just getting started.
“We didn’t open up the full bag,” said Parsons. ” … I think the sky’s the limit. This is just the beginning.”
The defense was flying around to the point where you have to wonder if American Airlines will give them frequent flier miles for their efforts. From Eric Kendricks to DeMarvion Overshown to DeMarcus Lawrence to Osa Odighizuwa and more, the defensive front was outstanding.
And then came the secondary, who basically shoved Cooper, Jeudy and Elijah Moore into a locker and spun the combination on the lock.
The run defense shined. The coverage shined. The contain on Watson shined.
“We have those rotational pieces and obviously we draft it pretty well, so it looks good and it helps that we can rotate when you’re tired and things like that,” said Parsons of the Cowboys being able to throw waves of talented defenders at teams. … Man, I feel like we could have done more to anybody else.
“Deshaun’s tough. He’s a tough quarterback, bro. He’s hard to get down. He’s scrappy, he’s relentless. He kept getting up, man [but] it was challenging for Cleveland to really dial into the offense.”
The three-time All-Pro pass rusher was lined up in several different spots on Sunday in Cleveland, making it difficult for the Browns to key in on him pre-snap, to resounding success.
He did give praise to Watson for his toughness and grit, though, and in being able to keep Parsons from having what could’ve otherwise been a multi-sack day to begin the season.
“I think I missed two or three [sacks],” said Parsons. “He’s tough. I’m going to have nightmares tonight for sure. I’m supposed to start this year off with [three sacks]. … I don’t think I played to my standard. I’ve gotta finish those plays..”
Parsons says he’s making no excuses and is determined to get back into the lab following this game to try and right that ship for Week 2 — in the home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
“First home game? They’ve got Derek Carr and they just dropped 40, so they’re clicking,” said Parsons. “We’ve gotta hit this lab and get cooking, but the Lion’s coming. Gotta protect the Den. Let’s go.”
The Cowboys owned the longest home win streak in the league before it was derailed by the Green Bay Packers in January, and they’re looking to start a new one, effective Sept. 15.
Jeff Kolb and Sam Gannon welcome Cowboys insiders Clarence Hill (All City Dallas) and Calvin Watkins (Dallas Morning News) for a hilarious breakdown of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Giving insight, arguments, and plenty of laughs as two of the best Dallas Cowboys writers in the business go head-to-head on what Dallas should do next.
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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