FRISCO, Texas — Von Miller said Thursday that the Dallas Cowboys are going to ride with rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham, days after a sideline video of Barham in tears went viral.
The clip shows Barham upset as defensive coordinator Christian Parker tries to calm him during the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 13. Barham replaced DeMarvion Overshown after Overshown strained his hamstring in the second half, and he is in line to start at middle linebacker Sunday.
Learning from a mistake and not repeating it is all Miller asks of the rookies.
“You never really lose, you just learn,” Miller said. “As long as you don’t make the same mistake twice, learn from it, and just keep pushing. That’s all you can really ask out of the young guys, out of the rookies. Everybody in the league, if you can just learn from your mistakes and just not make that same, let it be another mistake. Let it be something else. You’re constantly getting better.”
“So he’ll learn from it, and he’ll constantly get better,” Miller continued. “I got all the faith in the world in him and what we can do defensively.”
Von Miller On Jaishawn Barham Taking Over As Quarterback Of The Defense
Barham has been thrown into a leadership position, as Miller sees it.
“He’s the quarterback of the defense,” Miller explained. “He’s one of the toughest positions probably in all the sports. You’ve got to get everybody lined up. You’re thrown into a leadership position naturally. It’s just a lot that comes with it. He wouldn’t be in that position with Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League if he wasn’t capable. We’ve got all the faith in the world in Jaishawn for sure.”
Miller said Barham already knows the defense is behind him.
“Yeah, he knows that,” Miller said. “I can say it here with y’all, but he knows that for sure. We’re going to ride with him. I’m sure he feels the same way about us. You never really have a perfect game. You can just learn from it, get back in the lab, and just keep going.”
Dallas drafted Barham in the third round in April. He played at Maryland and Michigan.
Jaishawn Barham, Dallas Cowboys Host Washington Commanders
Parker addressed the video at his own availability Thursday. “We don’t have any reservations about his mentality,” Parker said. “We welcome that passion.”
Starting safety Malik Hooker is also out after surgery to repair a broken arm.
Miller is still learning at 37, and a second mistake gets the same treatment as the first.
“All you can do is just learn from it and just build on that,” Miller said. “Repetition is the father of learning. The more experience that you get, the more reps that you get, the more you’re able to learn. So I’m still learning at 37 years old. So you just got to take it one game at a time, one play at a time, and just keep it pushing.”
The Washington Commanders visit AT&T Stadium on Sunday for the Cowboys’ home opener. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.
