Do you owe Mike Neal an apology?

Totally agree! Neal was drafted in the 2nd round to replace Cullen Jenkins and was absolute dog **** for 2+ seasons. He finally strings together a few good games (i.e. doing what he was drafted to do) and we should all "apologize".

No thank you.

Very unfair, other than matthews and Rodgers, chances are you can find a better player we could of had for every player on the roster.

When you use a high round draft pick (I.E.) 1st or 2nd rounder on a player, there is a certain level of expectation to perform. I never said everyone does. But the expectation is there. Suddenly the guy is doing what was expected of him, and now we need to praise him, for what? This is what we expected.

We don't owe the guy anything especially since he's only been performing well for a few games. If anything he owes the team and the people who endorsed him and spent their pick on and if you ask me, it's about god damned time

You know, Cullen Jenkins was absolute dog **** for 2+ seasons. Matter of fact, the Packers cut him 2 years in a row. At least Neal showed some things in practice to warrant excitement. Only injuries slowed him down.

I think many just expect too much from players too quickly. The guys who can step in and be a big impact are fantastic and I wish all our picks were like that. But developing on the team and making an impact down the road are more the norm - especially for the big guys in the trenches.

So if you were advocate of cutting Neal, you were probably acting to hastily. I think that is where Ivo is coming from in the OP.

We need to keep in mind that the Titans are pretty bad and had a makeshift OL out there yesterday. I'm not ready to declare him pro bowl caliber but I'm glad he has shown some glimpses of what Thompson thought he was. I hope he can stay healthy and continues to improve.

All I am saying is that I am still hesitant/tentative in regards to him right now. He has done well as of late, and I will admit that, however I would still like to see that production sustained for a while longer before changing my overall opinion of him. Should he continue, I'll probably wind up pounding the table for him in the off season.

Agreed. He has been disappointing so far. Anyone who says they are happy with his overall career so far, have some pretty low expectations. By the same token, those who wanted him cut and called him a bust where way premature. Whether things were out of his control, and he will go on to a good career is definitely still up in the air.

Neal has to stand the test of time. That means being able to stay on the field and perform when he does have the chance. Model Ryan Pickett both in performance and attendance.
Let's see what he does against some of the better offensive lines coming up in the future.

If he can provide the same or similar impact against the Vikings and in our playoff game(s) that he has the past few games then he would show me enough (now against two very good lines) to fully believe that he could be a productive DE for this team in the upcoming years and I will no longer question him.

Then again I think the bigger reason he is having an impact is because Raji is playing so well right now. Raji and Matthews are having such huge impacts on the O-lines right now that our other pass rushers are able to come in and have a significant impacts that they would normally not be able to generate without Matthews and Raji. Don't get me wrong Neal is playing very well and has shown a lot of ability these past few weeks, as well as flashes throughout the season that he, on his own, is an effective pass-rusher. I just don't think what he has done recently is 100% warranted on him as much as it is on Raji playing much better and Matthews being healthy.

IMO if Raji and Matthews continue to play like this our pass rush will be good enough that our D will be very formidable come playoff time. Last time Raji played like this was the end of the 2010 season/ 2011 playoffs when our D was what won us Super Bowl XXXXV.

No apologies. For a high draft pick he's been remarkably unsteady. If he can shake it off and continue to contribute then and only then will all the doubters be wrong. That date of apology is a couple of SEASONS in the future.

So six games is greater than 2 and 1/4 seasons of dog ****? Certain things were expected from Neal and he didn't produce for 2 1/4 seasons.

Cletidus Hunt also went dog ****, one big year, one big contract, dog ****

No. But football players aren't born, they are made. Draftees develop into players as they learn, build their bodies, and adjust to the NFL. So the last 6 games are more significant in determining Neals current value as a player.

Nope

Did Neal play yesterday? Couldn't find him in the stats.

I didn't hear his name 1 time yesterday.

Per PFF, Mike Neal has 18 pressures in 178 pass-rushing snaps. That’s the 4th-best rate in the league among 3-4 DE's.

Exactly.

Lol Clearly Some people like to cling to their argument as it fell apart during this season

I think people got too excited about Neal last week when he had a decent performance against a terrible team with a terrible OL. We need to see a consistent effort each week and for him to be there each week.

This post by Milana says it all:

Neal has to stand the test of time. That means being able to stay on the field and perform when he does have the chance. Model Ryan Pickett both in performance and attendance.
Let's see what he does against some of the better offensive lines coming up in the future.

Neal is right now our best rushing DE. That is all, a nickel man. We didn't play nickel last night.

Neal was on the field a lot last night. I watched him. Check the tape of the game.

... Run at the rusher? He's only marginal against the run (still better than this years additions, there's a reason Wilson starts)

Yes, mostly there on passing downs or when they guessed pass. He was over center on some plays? Agree he isn't good against the run.