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GREEN BAY - Mike Neal is
hoping his Indiana homecoming counts for something.
Neal, a native of the
Hoosier State, said Friday he secured about 20 tickets for those close
to him to attend Sunday's matchup in Indianapolis between the Green Bay
Packers and the hometown Colts.
"My friends and
family have always been supportive," Neal said. "Me playing or
not playing, the big thing is just to be able to see them."
Still, Neal would
prefer to be seen in uniform on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf instead of
standing on the sideline dressed in sweats.
Neal and Green Bay
teammate James Starks are itching to play for the first time this
season, but neither player knows whether the long wait will end Sunday,
when the Packers (2-2) visit the Colts (1-2).
"I don't know how
it's really going to work," Starks said. "I don't know what
Coach's got in store."
Coach Mike McCarthy
refrained from saying after practice Friday what the status of Starks
and Neal would be on game day.
Starks, a running back
who led Green Bay in rushing yards last season, feels healthy again
after being out since the preseason with a toe injury.
Neal, a defensive end
whose young pro career has been marred by injuries, feels he's ready to
return to game action after serving a suspension the first four weeks of
the season.
"Those decisions
will be made after we meet (as coaches) today," McCarthy said.
"I really don't want to get into who's up and who's not."
The NFL gave the
Packers a one-week roster exemption for Neal, who rejoined the team
Monday and resumed practicing Wednesday. So they could wait until after
Sunday's game to add Neal to the 53-man roster.
An eager Neal feels he
can be of help right away as Green Bay kicks off a stretch of three
straight games on the road.
"I feel
fine," Neal said. "I'm always in game shape, man. I'm one of
them people that I usually work out a lot, and even if I don't I like to
get tired, I like to make myself tired. You can never be in perfect
shape."
The opinion from the
coaches after they watched him the last three days on the practice field
is he returned to the team in good physical shape.
Neal was allowed to
practice and play in the preseason. But he had to leave the team after
the final exhibition game Aug. 30 and begin serving the four-game
suspension at the start of the season.
The NFL-imposed
suspension stemmed from a violation of the league's policy on
performance-enhancing drugs. Neal had been taking the prescription
medication Adderall but didn't alert the league of his use of it before
he was tested.
Neal split time during
his four weeks away from the Packers between his home in Merrillville,
Ind., and Tampa, Fla., where he worked out.
"Mike looks
healthy," Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said. "He
looks big, strong, quick. He looked good. He had a good week of
practice. He had a great retention of the defense. He's a smart kid, so
no problems there."
Neal was a college
standout at Purdue, and the Packers selected him in the second round of
the 2010 draft. He hasn't come close to fulfilling the big expectations
on him at the start of his pro career, playing just a total of 10 games
his first two seasons.
Neal missed most of his
rookie season with a shoulder injury. He then suffered a knee injury in
the preseason last year and was out until November.
After being healthy and
productive toward the end of the preseason this year, Neal would love
for his first game this season to be in front of his mini-cheering
section but is keeping an open mind.
"It's not my
decision," he said. "If I had some clue, I would know. But
it's whatever they decide to do, and whatever they decide to do is
obviously the right thing to do. So you just have to go with it."
Starks also is playing
the waiting game for when his first appearance of the season will occur.
He believes he's ready to contribute after enduring a lengthy recovery
for turf toe on his right foot. He sustained the injury in the Packers'
first preseason game Aug. 9.
"It's feeling good
now," Starks said. "Obviously, it's probably going to linger
for a year and stuff like that, but it's still good. I've got my burst
back, starting to cut better, everything. It's something you deal with
and move on."
Although Starks was
projected to be the starter at running back after the Packers didn't
re-sign free agent Ryan Grant in the offseason, they added veteran
Cedric Benson only three days after Starks was injured.
Benson has produced in
the featured role early in the season. He had a season-high 84 yards in
18 carries in the win over the Saints on Sunday.
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