It’s not quite Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, but Micah Parsons and Mike Zimmer are two very different people.
The Cowboys linebacker knows that, eventually, he needs to find common ground with the first-year defensive coordinator.
“Honestly, me and Zim have probably said a total of 20 words together,” Parsons said Tuesday, via Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He’s a very quiet person. All I keep hearing from the coaches, ‘Zim likes it [like] this.’ Well, I like it this way. 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.”
Parsons is nevertheless willing to give some ground to Zimmer.
“Obviously, some things I’ve got to get used to, too,” Parsons said. “You know it’s going to be a compromising relationship.”
They could quickly reach an impasse on the question of whether there should be a compromise. Zimmer, during his time as head coach of the Vikings, had a my-way-or-the-highway attitude. And two years out of the NFL has not softened his edge.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to do it the way I want it done,” Zimmer recently said.
Yeah, this is gonna be good. Or bad, depending on one’s perspective.
Of course, if Parsons (who showed up for mandatory minicamp) had been attending OTAs, he possibly if not probably would have had a chance to commence the process of breaking bread with the new boss, who is definitely not the same as the old boss. That said, Zimmer has surely had plenty of chances to seek out his best player for a lengthy get-acquainted conversation.
The fact that he apparently has not suggests that Zimmer fully intends to adhere to the usual football chain of command: Coaches coach, players play. Players don’t coach, and coaches like Zimmer don’t play.
Did I mention this is gonna be good?