Penn State's Micah Parsons Reveal How Close He is to Returning

As much as we all want to see former Penn State star Micah Parsons back on the field for the Green Bay Packers after last season's knee injury that still has him out, it's important to keep some context in mind.

For one, Parsons understands that if he wants the career he's looking for, doing something early in his career that could affect the rest of his future typically isn't the wisest move. 

For a team like the Packers, one that clearly believes it can win a Super Bowl and is also paying Parsons, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to put him in a regular-season game and hope he's 100% healthy. 

Until he checks every box, the Packers have no reason to be dumb about this, as harsh as that might sound.

Of course, Parsons returning this Sunday on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys would be a ton of fun, as he's going up against his former team. 

However, when speaking to reporters, he said a few small things still need to be fixed. He also added that if this were a Super Bowl, he'd be right on that field.

"The biggest thing that people worried about with me, they're like, 'Man, why ain't he back yet?'" Parsons said, per ESPN. 

"If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl. But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first. What a lot of people don't figure out is it's not just the ACL. It's like, why did the ACL happen? What was weak? Because it all works together. It's a chain. And throughout the history of ACL, they notice if you come back early, there tends to be an overcompensation injury on the other side."

I love that Parsons says if his team was playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, he'd be ready to go. 

However, he also agrees that, based on prior injuries to guys with similar ACL injuries, coming back early can lead to overcompensation and other injuries. The Packers have been very smart over the past couple of years in how they've handled injuries, so I'm not surprised the organization is taking this route.

It probably isn't making Parsons happy that he isn't still on the field, but he'll thank himself and the organization in the long run.