Neal Goes Down With Knee Injury

Second year defensive lineman Mike Neal is being counted on to play significant snaps for Dom Capers defense this season.

Letting Cullen Jenkins walk in free agency was not a popular move among the Green Bay Packers fan base.

If this afternoon's knee injury to Mike Neal ends up being serious, Packer fans will no doubt start a very loud chorus of "I told you so."

Neal went down during an individual drill, without contact, clutching at his knee. After lying on the ground for several minutes, being attended to by trainers, Neal was able to get up and walk off the field on his own, albiet with a slight limp, on his way into the Hutson Center.

In Neal's absence,  C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn split Neal's reps during a drill with the nickel defense.

After practice, head coach Mike McCarthy termed the injury a "knee sprain" and said they would know tomorrow.

 

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Comments (43)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
RockinRodgers's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:45 pm

Oh Shit.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:46 pm

That about covers it.

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BC_Cab's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:09 pm

Whoa, last month on Twitter you reminded me how many games they won last year without Neal and Jenkins (when hurt)…tell me you still believe!! :)

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:22 pm

I do! I am just predicting the backlash... ;)

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tony's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:45 pm

Sounds like a sprain to me. They hurt like a bitch if you've never had one, but you can walk on it after.

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NoWayJose's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:48 pm

He went down in an individual drill, "without contact." Oh boy. That's not what you want to hear....

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Bearmeat's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:22 pm

Not gonna say "I told you so" oh wait... just did.

Should have signed Cullen to 1-2 yr contract..

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CSS's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:51 pm

Could easily be nothing, but the fact that they're waiting to do any imaging until tomorrow tells me there's currently swelling. If the swelling is fluid thats very, very bad.

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Nerdmann's picture

August 17, 2011 at 01:19 am

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/packers.html

“I can’t even explain how it happened. My leg got caught and I landed kind of awkward. I tried to get up and they told me to stay down. There’s just fluid in my knee now.”

Is there a form of swelling that does not involve fluid?

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CSS's picture

August 17, 2011 at 08:42 am

Technically, all swelling is some type of fluid. A strained muscle will respond by collecting water to protect itself, that's why you swell after sustained strain.

The bad swelling is blood and particulate matter that's basically exploded tissue following a tear or partial tear of connective tissue like a ligament.

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FITZCORE1252's EVO's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:53 pm

Son of a whore.

GBP 4 LIFE

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Mojo's picture

August 16, 2011 at 02:55 pm

Crap to the nth degree.

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PackersRS's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:05 pm

Everything is gonna be alright. Everything is gonna be alright. Everything is gonna be alright...

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Jake's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:11 pm

Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn.

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Mojo's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:17 pm

Not considered for resigning.

Not allowed to attend the WH ceremony.

Get used to the Cullen Jenkins curse.

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Danny Boy's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:24 pm

Justin Harrell is probably still available.

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Mojo's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:28 pm

Don't laugh DannyBoy it's a real possibility. Also, Lawrence Guy might just have made the roster.

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CounterPoint's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:51 pm

In McCarthy-speak, today's "knee sprain" ALWAYS becomes tomorrow's "torn ACL"

So bummed for Mike.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 03:57 pm

Our one sliver of hope is he didn't use the word "severe"...

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Chip Soup's picture

August 16, 2011 at 05:31 pm

I think "significant" is the other one to watch out for from MM. More time for the shoulder to heal, just hope it's not a whole year more.

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ibleedgrnngold's picture

August 16, 2011 at 06:56 pm

yea significant is MMspeak for season ending

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Zeke's picture

August 16, 2011 at 04:10 pm

It's just a flesh wound!

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Arnison's picture

August 16, 2011 at 04:14 pm

Oh boy, fingers crossed for Neal.

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Bigfog's picture

August 16, 2011 at 04:21 pm

Time to drink :(

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archie's picture

August 16, 2011 at 05:10 pm

Ted's is now kicking himself for allowing A-Rod to influence his decision to keep J. Jones. His formula allowed for Cobb to take Jones' place. This money was needed for Cullen Jenkins or another proven D. Lineman...Now, he has one too many receivers for Rodgers and one too few D. Lineman for Capers.... STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF TED!!

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Ruppert's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:26 pm

So you're suggesting that TT wasn't going to re-sign James Jones, but was going to sign Cullen instead until Rodgers basically made him do it the way he did? I see.

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PackerBacker's picture

August 16, 2011 at 10:48 pm

Sorry man, but there's no way that TT changed what he wanted to do just because Rodgers said something. Dude's a cool operator. Stone cold.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 10:57 pm

Agreed PackerBacker.

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PkrNboro's picture

August 16, 2011 at 05:49 pm

Hope this situation is not like Leslie McDonald's of the UNC Tar Heels...
...he thought he was fine, too.

Turns out: he had a slight ACL tear...resulting in a not-so-slight ACL reconstruction.

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AJKUHN's picture

August 16, 2011 at 06:05 pm

Nothing is f#cked dude.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 06:08 pm

Rofl

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Jake's picture

August 16, 2011 at 07:02 pm

Just read on espn that apparently Neal said nothing is torn and it was just inflammation...

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 07:35 pm

Yes, they had that on JSOnline as well. Until I hear/read it from the team, I will be nervous. Last year, Brad Jones was on our live show on Tuesday night telling us he was fine - the next day he was placed in IR. You just never know until the team makes it official.

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Jake's picture

August 16, 2011 at 07:51 pm

This is very true...

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Ruppert's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:28 pm

Speaking of the live show, when is the next live one? I don't recall if you ever did it during the preseason or not. Sorry if this has been written, but I've been busy as of late.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:58 pm

Tomorrow night :)

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Ruppert's picture

August 16, 2011 at 11:04 pm

Thanks for the reply, Aaron. Sadly, I won't be joining you tomorrow night as I will be working. I'll look for the podcast, though. Have fun.

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fish's picture

August 16, 2011 at 08:49 pm

We need like 15 more to match last year

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bryce's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:28 pm

craaaap

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asshalo's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:55 pm

If he does go on IR, people can expect the Justin Harrell comparisons to come out. He's such an intriguing talent. Not that Neal's career would be anywhere near over, but god, what a nightmare.

They were already pushing the envelope with the amount of snaps they gave Raji last year. I hate to see him have to do that again on a noticeably worse defensive line. With Neal out sporadically, they can step-up, but for the year? They're already counting on him for pass rush and with the diminished depth, the already sketchy run defense would probably get worse. No reason to write off the defense as being dominate though, because if any team has proven the next man up theory, it's this one.

Here's hoping it's a sprain and he only has to miss some some August football. Clay Matthews did alright without it the last two years.

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Nerdmann's picture

August 16, 2011 at 09:59 pm

If Neal gets IR'd, TT does something.

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asshalo's picture

August 17, 2011 at 06:05 pm

Indeed good sir-- never underestimate Ted Thompson on the waiver wire.

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channel Don Hutson's picture

August 17, 2011 at 06:11 am

While I love Neal as a potentially great all around D-end, I'm haunted by the concern that he is maybe greatness made vs. greatness born. His story is of being a gym animal, building his bulk and strength thru intense weight work. That makes you wonder whether his body's basic support structure, bones and ligaments, are up to the rigors of the ongoing insult of a great pro d-lineman's life? Hopefully this is a minor strain that allows him to rest thru the next couple weeks and emerge fresher and stronger for the real grind.

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