GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons returned to the practice field for the first time since he tore his ACL in Denver last December, ending a 324-day wait.
There were conversations all offseason about when Parsons would practice and eventually return to the game field.
A process that would take longer than maybe some would have thought back in the summer. Parsons and trainer Nate Weir sticking to the process to get to the point where the 21-day practice window would open.
“And then here come Nate. He was like, ah, we don’t want it now. This isn’t right. So we’re going to wait again. And we had a different date. And then it was like, hey, we still don’t like it. And then we test again. So it was sad in that sense of, like, any time you kind of get your hopes up, hey, we might be here, it was kind of like, oh, no, we’re not ready yet. And, like, that’s what I mean. Like, when you’re going through this injury in this time, everyone is like, when, when, when, when, when. And also, you know, as a player, you’re like, damn, when am I going to be ready? Like, when am I finally going to feel like, you know, I’m normal again? In reality, it’s never going to be the perfect time.”
Parsons went through rehab and work to get to this point. The thing tested the most may have been his patience.
“Oh, my patience is amazing. I think I got the most patience than, you know, anyone. Like I said, I think for me it’s just been about the process. Understanding that my situation was different from others, and every time I got better, every time I feel like I didn’t get better, even though I am getting better, you know, I think that has a lot to do with this injury. It’s nothing but patience,” Parsons said.
Parsons can certainly change the game. At least 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons. When he returns to the game field though, the All-Pro caliber Parsons may not be what people see down in and down out right away.
“I’m not going to be the all-pro Micah, the person that, you know, I once was this year. Probably not until later, after I go through all my phases and things like that. But I think what people will see is they’re going to see, like, this guy is ready to play football. And he’s going to play hard and he’s going to help boost his defense. And I think you’ll see flashes of all-pro Micah when I get the pass rush. And there’s going to be times when you’re like, dang, what was Micah doing?” Parsons said.
The timing of Parsons’ return to game action also will require patience. There are multiple reports from ESPN and others that identified the Rams game on Thanksgiving Eve as a target for a return to competition.
Parsons is not putting a date on it and is not trying to raise his hopes or the expectations too high.
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