NFC Notes: Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Dallas couldn’t complete the comeback effort in Week 3 and fell to 1-2 to open the new year. Cowboys DE Micah Parsons says they feel humbled after the rough start but he reiterated their Super Bowl aspirations. 

“I would say the start of the season has been extremely humbling,” Parsons said, via the Dallas Morning News. “We fell short after not starting great, didn’t put ourselves in the best situations. I would still say I’m still positive because everyone is still coming in, [Mike Zimmer], we’re going to get better. We’re going to keep learning. We’re going to keep growing.”

“I still have dreams of being a Super Bowl champion. I still have dreams and aspirations of going as far as I can into this year and obviously reaching that Super Bowl.”

Eagles

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said RB Saquon Barkley has surprised him countless times with his ability on the field, praising him for making “unbelievable cuts.”

“Man, there’s so many different things,” Sirianni said, via ProFootballTalk. “Again, when you see a cut in person, when he’s on your team. For whatever reason, when he’s on your team, it just — I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve just really shook my head like, man, that was an unbelievable cut. And he’s making these cuts at 230 pounds. Oh, on top of that, he’s making these cuts at 4.3 speed. Who is like him, you know what I mean?”

Sirianni also said Barkley has proven to be an incredible teammate. 

“It’s just really cool to see him. And again, I will always go back to — you guys all see the plays he makes, but what a teammate he is. He works his butt off. He’s a great teammate, and I can’t say enough good things about him. I think those are the things . . . that you really see is, again, his elusiveness, first and foremost. But then, the size and the speed at which he’s making those cuts is what make it so impressive.”

Sirianni notices how more proficient the Eagles’ running game is with Barkley compared to previous years. 

“You know, it’s still early with the sample size,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, our numbers reflect that a little bit as well. Our rushing numbers are up. Now, we’ve been high in the rushing over the past couple years. But again, I just think it’s too early to say that quite yet. Because we’ve definitely looked at that and studied that. Because you spend all your time focusing on the next opponent, but we have actually broke it off and said, what is happening across the league? And I just think right now, the sample size is just not high enough. But it is something that we looked into because it is noticeable, and it is a really big difference. But we’ll continue to monitor that. And what we are trying to do, though, is be efficient on offense. Hit your explosive plays. Take care of the football. Those things will never change. Not give up sacks. Those things will never change of what we are trying to do as far as explosives, taking care of the football, and not giving up sacks.”

Giants

The Giants lost to Dallas on Thursday Night Football in Week 4 in a close game where the offense could only muster 15 points. New York HC Brian Daboll wants to see more out of the run game but was pleased with how QB Daniel Jones performed.

“I thought the quarterback played well, made a lot of good decisions, and made good throws. We couldn’t get our run game going,” Daboll said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “We kind of controlled the game in the passing game but we didn’t do enough in the running game.”

“Three games in a row, I’m proud of the young man. He’s made good decisions, he’s thrown the ball where he needs to throw the ball. For three games he’s been locked in, he’s played well.”

• Daboll noted WR Malik Nabers is in the concussion protocol, per Dan Duggan.