NFC Notes: Micah Parsons, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste spoke about what he has been doing to improve this offseason, including watching films of some of the league’s top cornerbacks.

“I went through every single OTA practice that we did every day,” St-Juste said, via CommandersWire.com. “I watched every game from 2021 and every game from 2022. I started with all my corner reps, and then I went through all the nickel reps, and then I started looking at some of the players around the league that I look up to, trying to see how different they play their technique.”

“Obviously, we don’t know their whole scheme and all that stuff, but I can still pull up their film and see how they play certain things,” St-Juste added on watching cornerback film.“So every day I used to just go in my room or go up there in the facility and watch a little bit of film for about 30, 45 minutes, just see what they do. I’d try it, and at practice, it’s the time to try it, see what works, what doesn’t work. So then, when you get in the game, it’s easy. You can just execute. Some of the top DBs, like [Packers CB] Jaire Alexander, [Saints CB] Marshon Lattimore, [Jets CB] Sauce [Gardner], stuff like that. Trying to see what made them so good last year so maybe I can steal a few of their tricks.”

Cowboys

Much of the attention surrounding the Cowboys’ defense this offseason has been around LB Micah Parsons, yet Parsons believes that fellow linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is the key to the team’s defense. 

“He’s the most important piece,” Parsons said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “That’s one person I was super excited to have back. You talk about someone that knows and commands the defense inside out, making sure everyone is lined up, and attention to detail. What he puts into the game can’t be replicated. I mean, he got a chance to work with Sean Lee and I can feel like Sean Lee rubbed off on him. Every bit of his game just reminds me of (it), how he runs to the ball, his aggressiveness, how he just asserts everyone, gets everyone lined up, his willingness to move around.”

Giants

Now that he has been activated from the physically unable to perform list, Giants DL A’Shawn Robinson is ready to get back to work.

“We all know what I do with my set of skills,” Robinson told The New York Post. “You have to love physicality. You have to want that contact. There are only a few gorillas in the league, and [when] you see those gorillas, you’ve got to handle business.” 

“I’m just here to ball,” Robinson added. “I feel great. Happy to get this opportunity to work. I have my lunch pail and I have my hard hat. I learned how to work, I learned how to keep that same main frame of mind, I learned how hard it is to be where he is at and what you have to do to get [there]. It’s a tough task, but it’s something that you can do. There’s always something to prove, always something more out there. I’m going to do my job and let it speak for itself.”