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| Green Bay defensive end Mike Neal recorded the second sack of his career during the Packers' loss to the Colts on Sunday. (US Presswire) |
Green Bay defensive end Mike Neal said last week he wanted to play in Sunday’s game against the Colts.
It didn’t seem likely to happen, given Neal had just come off the reserve/suspended list, having served a four-game ban for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, and only started practicing with the Packers on Wednesday.
Still, Neal, who’s from Merrillville, Ind., about two and a half hours north of Indianapolis, said he hoped to play in front of the family and friends to whom he’d given tickets.
He got his wish.
On Saturday, the Packers released DE Phillip Merling to clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Neal, who was given a one-week roster exemption. The next day, he was active against the Colts and the injury plagued, third-year lineman played in just his 10th career game since being drafted in the second round from Purdue in 2010.
Neal said it meant a lot to be on the field on Sunday. In 2010, he played in only two games before a shoulder injury ended his rookie season, and last year a knee injury suffered in training camp kept him sidelined until Week 11.
“I just look at it as, you never know when an opportunity like this can be taken away from you, and I got my opportunity and I feel good about the way I played,” Neal said. “But it’s like you always say, when you lose, you could’ve played a little bit better.”
The Packers lost, 30-27, but Neal played his best game in two years. He notched two quarterback hits, including his second career sack. The second-quarter sack resulted in a nine-yard loss, putting the Colts in a third-and-long situation and eventually resulting in a missed field goal from 53 yards.
“For the most part, I think I did pretty well,” said Neal, who was suspended for using the prescription drug Adderall without NFL permission.
Follow Packers reporter James Carlton @CBSPackers and @jimmycarlton88.
