During a 23-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, New York Giants rookie tackle Evan Neal surrendered five pressures, one QB hit, one hurry and three sacks.
There was no skirting it: Neal had just played the worst game of his life, which was something he admitted after the fact.
Frustrated fans and some lazy pundits were quick to jump, labeling Neal a “bust” after just three NFL games. They were apparently quick to forget the struggles of Andrew Thomas, now the highest-graded left tackle in football, during his rookie season.
But there’s no sugarcoating it… Neal hasn’t played well. He’s been soundly beaten in each of his first three games and is the second-lowest graded offensive player on the team.
Still, most recognize that it’s entirely too early to give up on the highly-touted rookie. And his teammates, including the aforementioned Thomas, remain confident that he’ll soon turn things around.
“I’ve definitely talked to Evan. It’s a short week, so we kind of had to put it to bed quickly. We’re already moved on to game planning for the Bears,” Thomas told reporters on Wednesday. “Just encouraging him to keep working and to have a short-term memory, but just a reminder that the stuff that you put on film, the rushers next week, they’re watching that. Just a reminder to clean that up and keep working the technique. He’s a talented kid, has all the tools in the world. He’s mature as hell, so I’m confident in him.”
That maturity is what should help the usually quiet Neal. He knows better than to allow things to linger.
“It’s definitely not easy, especially coming from college where you dominate — you’re really good. It’s frustrating but I think he has a good attitude about it. He’s always asking me about different pointers and asking questions in the meeting room, just trying to get better every day. I think he has the right mindset,” Thomas added.
Neal drew somewhat of a short straw over the first three games of his career, going up against three fast and dominant front seven’s. Things will get a bit easier — although not “easy” — against the Chicago Bears in Week 4.
