FRISCO, Texas — There are new signs around The Star near the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room. On Monday, head coach Mike McCarthy unveiled the team’s new theme for the 2023 season.
Carpe Omnia.
The Latin phrase means to “seize everything.” Last year’s theme was “Resilience.”
New sign near the Cowboys locker room pic.twitter.com/oT52y2Cw8L
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 6, 2023
McCarthy explained how this year’s theme illustrates where the team is at and where it is in its progression toward winning a championship. He added that there is an empty picture frame in the front of the team room, representing what they are capable of this season. There’s also an empty frame photo on the sign near the locker room that is positioned in the middle of photos of the Cowboys’ other five Super Bowl winning teams.
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One of the players that McCarthy believes embodies the new slogan is superstar defender Micah Parsons.
“He is a great example of carpe omnia,” McCarthy said. “He’s trying to seize everything. And he does it with such a competitive fire. And he has tremendous skill and gifts to go with that. I see him growing in every way.
“His understanding of the defense is significantly higher today than it was this time last year and definitely his first year. I don’t know if there is any area where he hasn’t grown.”
Micah Parsons wearing the Cowboys’ new Carpe Omnia, Seize Everything sweatshirts. There was one hanging in every player’s locker today pic.twitter.com/bLYs6gkOvm
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 6, 2023
The new signs, the hooded sweatshirts, they make it clear that the Cowboys have Super Bowl aspirations this season. For the franchise to advance to that level for the first time since 1995, Parsons will have to continue being exceptional.
The two-time All-Pro is the front-runner to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second for that honor each of his first two NFL seasons. While that’s an honor he wants, the Super Bowl is at the forefront of his mind.
“Man, I’ve been sleeping on it. I’ve been dreaming about it,” Parsons said. “Late at night, I just think Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl.”
Parsons also understands that talking about that game on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas doesn’t mean much on Sept. 6.
“Every day has its worries of its own and every day you have to focus on just getting better that inch,” Parsons said. “And eventually you build enough inches to where you are in the Super Bowl. And you know you’ll be there, but your preparation, your work, your mindset, all which led there, everything you do each day leads to the Super Bowl. Not just saying, ‘Hey, I want to go to the Super Bowl.’ It just doesn’t work like that.”
GO DEEPER
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According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons’ quarterback pressure percentage of 20.8 leads all edge defenders over the last two seasons. His 26 1/2 sacks over his first two seasons are sixth-most in the NFL over a player’s first two seasons since 1982. His nine double-digit sack games over the last two seasons are tied for the most by any player in his first two seasons since 1982.
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The player he’s chasing for Defensive Player of the Year honors is San Francisco edge rusher Nick Bosa, who led the NFL in sacks (18 1/2) and QB hits (48) in 2022. Bosa made headlines Wednesday when he agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension with the 49ers. He’s now the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. Bosa is 25. Parsons, who has at least two years left on his rookie contract, is 24. He’s expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player in the not-so-distant future.
“I don’t even think about that,” Parsons said. “I really just enjoy the game. I love what I do. Everyone else can talk about it. My dad always said that, everyone can talk about how good you are. Everyone can talk about what your future looks like and things like that. But at the end, you’ve always just got to act like you’ve been there before and act like it’s normal, because if you’re good everyone else will talk about you.”
Parsons was talking with reporters when the news broke about Bosa’s new deal.
“Super happy for Nick Bosa,” Parsons said. “He really showed why he was the best player in the league last year. It gives you something to chase, man. And not in terms of his contract, but in terms of how great he was. If you study his mindset and how patient he was and let the game come to him.
“He knows that I’m coming for him. He even said, ‘I won (Defensive Player of the year) this year, and I know you’ll be coming for it next year.’ “And I said, ‘You’re damn right.’ It’s going to be a good chase. And not only him, (Raiders DE) Maxx Crosby, too, and those guys are really good.”
Parsons didn’t play during the preseason, but he’s coming off his most dominant training camp where he routinely got to the quarterback regardless of who was in front of him. The expectations are that he will be even more productive than he was his first two seasons.
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“My mindset is always that we’re the best D-line in the world,” he said. “And each week and each Sunday you got a chance to go out there and perform and show why you’re the best in the world. Whether (the Giants) gave up the most pressures (last year) or we had the most pressures or I had the most pressures, it doesn’t matter if I don’t go out there and do it right or show why I’m the best in the world. That’s my plan, just go out there, play hard football, play passionate football, play smart football and show why I’m the best in the world.”
Parsons liked McCarthy’s presentation to the team Wednesday. He was especially a fan of the talk about identifying what the Cowboys are going to be this season.
“That’s when you start visualizing and manifesting and things like that,” Parsons said. “I’m a big person in manifesting and closing my eyes and thinking about the plays I’m going to make the night before and what’s going to happen in the future. Sometimes it almost feels like it’s deja vu.”
Parsons and the Cowboys begin their season Sunday night against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas is 4-0 against the Giants since Parsons was drafted 12th overall in 2021. In the Cowboys’ two games against New York last season, he had two sacks, four QB hits and three tackles for loss in 103 defensive snaps.
Does he get any extra juice from starting the season with a division rival?
“Nah, man,” Parsons responded, “everyone gets the same smoke.”
(Photo of Micah Parsons: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
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Jon Machota is a staff writer covering the Dallas Cowboys for The Athletic. He previously covered the Cowboys for The Dallas Morning News. He's a Detroit native and graduate of Wayne State University. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmachota
