Micah Parsons wasn’t intending to start something when he made a remark about Jalen Hurts on The Voncast.
But those comments didn’t sit well in Philadelphia, and now the Cowboys’ sack leader is dealing with the resulting firestorm.
During Parsons’ and Millers’ chat, the discussion turned to Hurts’ MVP candidacy, to which Parsons asked “"Is it Hurts or the team?" Miller, after laughing for a moment, said he thought it was a little bit of both, with Parsons responding “it’s system and team.”
On Thursday, Parsons didn’t walk back the comments, but tried to emphasize that he wasn’t intending to disrespect Hurts.
“You’ve got to stand on everything you say just as a man,” Parsons said, via ProFootballTalk. “Obviously, they small clipped it and took one line of what was really talked about. No pun intended or no disrespect to Hurts. I think he’s doing great this year.
“But you know me. I’m a defensive guy, and I said the Eagles defense is the team to watch. They have hell of a (lot of) players over there, making plays all year, from a defensive aspect, I know how offensive guys get all the credit, so I just want to stick up for the defensive guys.
“The conversation was Most Valuable Player. Is it just quarterback? … That’s what the conversation was about. That’s where I stand on it.”
Parsons wasn’t done, either.
“I was just having a good conversation with Von, a person I look up to, helped him on his podcast and the next thing I know it’s a s–t storm,” Parsons said. “You see how that goes. We were just talking football. Not once did I ever disrespect Hurts or any other player in any way. I’m just talking football.
“If football is a hurtful conversation, then what are we playing for? I think the job is more hurtful than the conversation, you know. If we can't have opinions … I mean, you guys get to talk s--t all day. Why can’t we talk a little chatter? I don’t understand what’s so hurtful when we talk about each other. We’re the players. We play every day. So, I think people should have opinions.”
The Eagles went 9-8 last year with Hurts as the full-time starter. Howie Roseman built up the team around Hurts in the offseason, and the third-year pro has responded by elevating his game to an MVP level.
Everyone can debate until they’re blue in the face about who is more responsible for the Eagles’ success this season, but in terms of an MVP discussion, Hurts absolutely belongs.
We won’t have to wait long for this to get settled on the field, with Parsons and the Cowboys set to host the Eagles next week on Christmas Eve. The Eagles won 26-17 in the two sides’ first meeting this season.
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