WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ | Will Parsons follow Emmitt’s footsteps with a holdout?; Remember Friday’s announcement; Rangers fall in L.A.

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Cowboys-Parsons standoff continues

On the left side of the ETBlitz.com home page, there’s a search feature, and under that, there’s a countdown clock.

Now, it was cheap; it didn’t cost us anything.

But that countdown clock is marking a very important day. It’s the start of practice for the 2025 high school football season, on August 4.

That clock is running. And August 4 is getting closer by the week, the day, the hour, the minute, the second.

Just like another clock.

The Dallas Cowboys open the 2025 season in the National Football League’s most marquee position: on NBC on Thursday night, Sept. 4, at Philadelphia, against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. Prime time. No surprise.

But when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts drops back to pass, will Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons be giving chase?

Right now, it’s not looking good.

Parsons has a signed contract through this upcoming season. But traditionally, players of his caliber are signed to an extension prior to that final contract year.

That would mean like now, and stuff.

Dallas opens training camp in about 11 days, in Oxnard, California. And the Cowboys have been known to do things last-minute. They’ve also been known to let negotiations seep over into the season. Remember when…?

Back in 1993, running back Emmitt Smith was holding out. I mean, I’m sorry, that’s what it was. Smith held out and didn’t report to training camp. On top of that, he missed the entire preseason, and the first two games of the regular season.

The result was an 0-2 start for the Cowboys, and one pretty salty locker room temper-tantrum by defensive end Charles Haley.

The following week, who knows what pushed it, but Smith and the Cowboys came back to the negotiating table and Smith’s signature was on a new contract. Smith was happy, his teammates were happy, and Dallas went on to win Super Bowl XXVIII (28).

Now, am I in any way, shape or form comparing Parsons, who I believe is a very good player, to the NFL’s all-time leading rusher?

No, sir.

I think Parsons, as I said, is a good player, at times even a dynamic player. But I know I personally have players at his same position that are elsewhere in the league that I would take over Parsons. T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Sign me up. Myles Garrett of Cleveland? You mean the guy who’s had 44 sacks in the last three years playing for a team that at times didn’t look like it had a heartbeat?

I’d take Garrett over Parsons, too. And Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers on a very good day.

So Parsons, I’m saying, is the third, maybe fourth-best pass-rusher in football.

He’s no Charles Haley.

All of that said, is he a superstar? Yes. Is he super-talented? Yes. Is he a game-changer when he’s on the field?

I need to see more.

Maybe the Cowboys need to see more, too. And maybe that’s why they’re gambling that Parsons won’t hold out into the season, and that he’ll actually play his deal.

Emmitt called their bluff. And he won the gamble.

Will Parsons do the same? We’ll find out.

Friday’s announcement

I’ve promoted this all sorts of ways, but I’ll say it once more: on Friday, we’ll announce three new schools that will be a part of our coverage plans for ETBlitz.com for the 2025-26 school year.

I don’t want to let any cats out of the bag (where on God’s green earth did that saying come from?), but we’ll probably do all three separately, maybe an hour apart. I’ll let you know more on Friday morning in Wake Up!, but I do think you’ll be at least excited to see who’s joining our party.

How’d the Rangers do Wednesday night?

If you read Wednesday’s Wake Up!, you might recall that we had hopes of the Texas Rangers – who’ve been playing a series at American League West Division rival L.A. Angels this week and then follow it against division-leading Houston this weekend – winning those games and getting back in the division race not far after the All-Star Game break.

One loss didn’t sink our ship, but it did take on some water Wednesday night.

The Rangers lost at L.A., 11-8, and are trading third and fourth place in the division with the Angels like a game of hot potato.

They’ve got one more game at the Angels, tonight at 8:30 p.m. our time, and then then hit the plane to Houston for a weekend series. And Houston isn’t doing well enough to write home about, either, right now. They’ve lost three straight, all to Cleveland, but still lead the AL West by 6 ½ games over second-place Seattle. The Angels are third, as mentioned, at 45-47, and then Texas at 45-48.