Micah Parsons 'Best Player' Cowboys Coach Jimmy Johnson 'Has Ever Seen'?

Jimmy Johnson on Dallas Cowboys 'Lion-backer': 'He may be the best player I’ve seen. ... Micah Parsons amazes me.''

FRISCO - What has Jimmy Johnson seen? At age 79, after a lifetime in football highlighted by his famous "Three Rings'' ... Everything. He's seen 'em all.

And he believes Micah Parsons might be the best of 'em all.

“I watch him every week,'' said Johnson on Thursday. "I know my buddy Bill Belichick is gonna get mad at me, but (Parsons) may be the best player I’ve seen. Of course, Bill is gonna say Lawrence Taylor. But Micah Parsons amazes me.''

Johnson was speaking on 105.3 The Fan to promote his new book, "Swagger,'' co-written with journalist Dave Hyde and subtitled “Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs — A Memoir.”

And of course he's not alone in offering glowing reviews of Parsons, the brilliant second-year "Lion-backer'' who has a rookie first-round pick finished second in NFL Defensive of the Year voting and is now commonly considered worthy of joining the league's best QBs in getting MVP votes.

Nor is he alone in making the Lawrence Taylor comparison - as even L.T. himself - the long-time New York Giants legend who has Belichick as his defensive coordinator - has reached out to Parsons to do so.

But maybe "best player I've seen''? Johnson, the Hall of Fame coach and co-architect of the Dallas Cowboys' 1990's three-Super Bowl dynasty, has been in the business of playing, coaching and broadcasting at the highest level.

"Best ever'' says a mouthful.

Parsons is among the league leaders in sacks and in an unofficial category, among the league leaders in playmaking. The Cowboys believe that at 6-3, 250 and with 4.3 speed, he could play virtually any position on the field ... and within the highly ranked Dallas defense often does just that.

There is a next step that every "best-ever player'' must take, the step that Johnson's guys at the University of Miami once took, the step that his 90's Cowboys once took. The Super Bowl is in Micah's plans; his pitch to free agent wideout Odell Beckham Jr. says so. But that is the future.

What about Micah, age 23, right now?

 He is,'' Jimmy Johnson said, "a special individual.”

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