Mike Neal's Green Bay apartment does not look like the aftermath of a bar room brawl.
There are no holes punched in the wall, no shattered light fixtures, no doors ripped from their hinges, no tables or chairs reduced to kindling.
A beast on the playing field, when healthy, the Green Bay Packers' defensive end is able to separate real life from the game he plays, thank you.
So as shocked and despondent as fans were after last Sunday's 37-20 playoff loss at home to the New York Giants, no grief counseling was necessary for Neal and teammates.
"I'm fine," the Merrillville grad said.
The defending Super Bowl champs were 15-1 in the regular season, a franchise record, and considered the best team in the NFL. They were heavy favorites to repeat this year in Indianapolis.
New York never got that email, however.
"All good things must come to an end sometime," Neal said. "We just let one (game) slip away from us. It sucks for it to happen in the playoffs, but you can't mourn over it.
"I guarantee you we've put this behind us, and everybody already is looking forward to next year."
But not everybody will return, and that doesn't surprise Neal, who knows what a cold-hearted business this is. It's all about winning and production, whether you play or coach.
Green Bay’s roster is infused with youth. Including the eight practice squad players signed to futures contracts and those on injured reserve, the Packers have 41 players who are 25 years old or younger. The thinking is that players such as Vic So’oto, running back Brandon Saine, quarterback Graham Harrell, defensive end Mike Neal and others will mature this off-season.
"We have depth on our football team," McCarthy said. "We will always try to create as much competition as possible. The philosophy of drafting and developing, the philosophy of taking the best football player available. With that, that breeds competition in your program."
So’oto could be one wild card at arguably the team’s worst position - right outside linebacker. A tight end-turned-defensive end at Brigham Young, the 6-3, 263-pounder appeared in only six games this season. He couldn’t gain the coaches’ trust. Even as the pass rush squandered, So’oto wasn’t considered a serious option. In the regular-season finale, he got his shot and sacked Matthew Stafford.
Not much was expected out of Green Bay’s two undrafted outside linebackers - So’oto and Jamari Lattimore. Rather than sneak a couple of veterans onto the roster who could’ve helped in the short term, the Packers went young. The payoff presumably begins next season.
There are no holes punched in the wall, no shattered light fixtures, no doors ripped from their hinges, no tables or chairs reduced to kindling.
A beast on the playing field, when healthy, the Green Bay Packers' defensive end is able to separate real life from the game he plays, thank you.
So as shocked and despondent as fans were after last Sunday's 37-20 playoff loss at home to the New York Giants, no grief counseling was necessary for Neal and teammates.
"I'm fine," the Merrillville grad said.
The defending Super Bowl champs were 15-1 in the regular season, a franchise record, and considered the best team in the NFL. They were heavy favorites to repeat this year in Indianapolis.
New York never got that email, however.
"All good things must come to an end sometime," Neal said. "We just let one (game) slip away from us. It sucks for it to happen in the playoffs, but you can't mourn over it.
"I guarantee you we've put this behind us, and everybody already is looking forward to next year."
But not everybody will return, and that doesn't surprise Neal, who knows what a cold-hearted business this is. It's all about winning and production, whether you play or coach.
Green Bay’s roster is infused with youth. Including the eight practice squad players signed to futures contracts and those on injured reserve, the Packers have 41 players who are 25 years old or younger. The thinking is that players such as Vic So’oto, running back Brandon Saine, quarterback Graham Harrell, defensive end Mike Neal and others will mature this off-season.
"We have depth on our football team," McCarthy said. "We will always try to create as much competition as possible. The philosophy of drafting and developing, the philosophy of taking the best football player available. With that, that breeds competition in your program."
So’oto could be one wild card at arguably the team’s worst position - right outside linebacker. A tight end-turned-defensive end at Brigham Young, the 6-3, 263-pounder appeared in only six games this season. He couldn’t gain the coaches’ trust. Even as the pass rush squandered, So’oto wasn’t considered a serious option. In the regular-season finale, he got his shot and sacked Matthew Stafford.
Not much was expected out of Green Bay’s two undrafted outside linebackers - So’oto and Jamari Lattimore. Rather than sneak a couple of veterans onto the roster who could’ve helped in the short term, the Packers went young. The payoff presumably begins next season.
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