Unsurprisingly, Micah Parsons' health has been the main storyline around the Green Bay Packers. He's a long shot to be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at any point in training camp, though hope is the last thing to be lost.
However, the former Dallas Cowboys star can't be bothered to talk about return dates. He doesn't care about whether he'll be back in one day or one month, and much less about all concerns regarding his knee.
Instead, he thinks everyone's missing the point and what actually matters about his recovery. Speaking to the media, Parsons put the league on notice by essentially letting them know that they should only worry about what he's about to do to their quarterbacks.
Micah Parsons hypes up the Packers with league-wide warning
“People are worried about the knee. They should be worried about how I'm gonna play when I get back. The anger, the frustration, the things that I'm about to let out because of how long it's been since I've played. So I think that's what people should really worry about. How great is Micah gonna be when he gets back? Not about when I get back because that's the short term,” Parsons told reporters (h/t Matt Schneidman).
That's the spirit. That's what you want to hear from the face of the franchise, and it should go a long way in the locker room. Yes, things will be tougher when he's not out there, but once he gets back, it's open season.
Of course, countless factors and roadblocks can still stand in his way. He might be eager to get back out there and have all the medical resources at his disposal, but even approaching his recovery process as succinctly and aggressively as he's done, his body may not respond the same way at first; that's not on him.
Even so, Parsons' presence on the field will impact the entire game even if he's not at his best. He'll draw 11 pairs of eyeballs in every obvious pass situation, and his ability to line up in multiple spots will inevitably force opposing offensive coordinators to make adjustments.
Parsons' impact goes way beyond his (impressive) stats. He's a vocal leader with contagious energy and someone who won't hesitate to get in his teammates' faces to push them. You need that in the locker room as much as you need it on the gridiron, and he's not going anywhere.
The superstar pass rusher will continue to tackle his recovery process as aggressively as he takes down a quarterback on third-and-long. He'll stay with the team, do his part, and ensure he's as sharp as if he'd never been away by the time he gets back to full strength.
The team will likely ramp him up slowly and keep him on a short leash at first to protect him from himself. But even 50 percent of Micah Parsons should be a scary thought for the rest of the league, more so one who's angry and thirsty for vengeance after the first (and hopefully last) major injury of his career.
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