Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware recently joined the Shan & RJ Show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] to discuss Dallas’ offseason and more. Here are some of the highlights, edited for clarity.
What are the Cowboys missing?
Ware: “I don’t think there’s anything missing. I know that the philosophy of turning the ball over just needs to stop. If they don’t turn the ball over, you look at how many games they want and how Dak [Prescott] plays. And being on defense, the same thing. How can we get the ball out? When they start getting interceptions, they start getting big pressure plays, they start knocking the ball out, getting the ball back to Dak and start running the ball making those plays, it’s inevitable that no team can beat them.
“But as soon as they start turning the ball over and they don’t get turnovers on defense, then we go back to that mediocre team that nobody wants to see.”
Where do you think Micah Parsons still needs to improve as a player?
Ware: “There’s always room to improve that toolbox. I talked about that toolbox in the offseason, OTAs and minicamp. I think just being able to read offenses a lot quicker. It’s all about time now. He has athleticism, he can do all the pass rush techniques. But now he needs to get to a point to where — okay cool, the offensive line is gonna all fan to the right, I need to make sure I line up to the left before it even happens.
“The smarter you are and you know what play is going to come before they even start calling it because of their personnel, now, as an athlete, you know exactly what’s going to happen before, so then you can jump the count, meaning you can get off the ball a little bit faster, you know what play is going to happen because it’s a time game now. And the more time the quarterback has the ball, the more time those big plays are going to happen. You’re the pressure guy, so you got to make sure you bring that pressure in key situations.”
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Micah Parsons has caught some flak for his tweet congratulating Lane Johnson. Did you ever have a team or a player in your division who you were rooting for to win it all?
Ware: “I hate to say it, but it was Osi Umenyiora for the Giants. He was like my brother. We grew up in high school, college and I hated going against him. We talked trashed a whole week. I can still remember, I think it was 2008, when they beat us and he was rubbing it in. I was so pissed. And then they went up to Green Bay and beat Green Bay. I watched that game. I was rooting for them. They went to the Patriots, they beat the Patriots for the Super Bowl... I hated it. I still hate it to this day because he shows me those Super Bowl rings, but I was rooting for him.”
If you had to add to one position on the Cowboys’ defense would it be corner?
Ware: “To be honest with you, linebacker. Like a big, nasty linebacker in the middle. Somebody that just, he’s not marketable at all. But when he puts the pads on he’s just knocking heads out there and he’s calling plays... I will say a guy that’s just a head knocker in the middle or a defensive lineman that’s the same way. Huge, 320-pound guy and he demands a double team. If you don’t double team him, guess who’s going to eat? DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons. He’s the guy in the middle, the anchor — you’re not running the football and you got to pass it and I’m gonna let my outside guys do what they do best. Let’s get to the quarterback.”
Could you ever see yourself coaching in the NFL?
Ware: “You might see me on the NFL sideline, maybe mentoring and coaching some of the guys a little bit. But full-time coaching? ... It’s almost like I’m putting the pads back on and now not being able to hit nobody and now I got to rely on somebody else to do it... But if I can mentor the players and see them succeed and teach them technique, teach them in the game, I would love to do that.”
Would you rather go up against Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts?
Ware: “I would say Patrick Mahomes. Jalen Hurts, that RPO, I hate that play. We don’t know if the quarterback has the ball, the rushing back, the wide receiver coming around, you don’t know. And he’s really healthy. As a lion when I’m out there, I would say ‘hunting’ or getting pressure on the quarterback, if I know that I have a wounded antelope, that’s the one I’m gonna try to go and eat.”
Click here to listen to the full interview.
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