Transcript: Offensive Tackle Evan Neal

Offensive Tackle Evan Neal

Q: You never lost an opener at Alabama, really didn't come close. Did you ever lose an opener in any season of your life? In high school or earlier than that?

A: I don't believe I have.

Q: You would probably know, right? So, you haven't I guess.

A: Yeah, you could say that.

Q: You know what 1-0 feels like, but not 0-1. Does that help springboard the team when you're 1-0 and when you in that first one?

A: I mean the first game is the first game. It's a long season. Win lose or draw, I just want to go out there, compete, fight hard and use that as an opportunity to get better as well. 0-1, 1-0 – there's going to be a week 2.

Q: Have you found in all these years that when you were 1-0 that a lot of people said how good the team was? Sometimes it's true and sometimes it's not, but there's a lot of overreaction to the first game, isn't there?

A: Yeah, but that's expected. It's the first game, the first time people have got the opportunity to see the team in live action, so everybody is going to have their own takes. I'm just focused on going out there and competing the best way that I can to help my team succeed.

Q: I assume during the offseason you did a lot of prep work; how much does it throw you off when a guy like (Tennessee Outside Linebacker) Harold Landry, who would have been lined up on your side, gets hurt? Do you have to go to plan b now?

A: No, that doesn't change anything. They are going to have a guy that's in his place that I am going to have to block. That doesn't really change anything for me at all.

Q: Would you look at (Tennessee Defensive Lineman Denico) Autry or would you look at everybody?

A: Yeah, I watch film on everybody. I'm studying all those guys.

Q: I'm just curious, it's here – your NFL debut, your first real game is here. What emotions do you feel? Do you have any family coming to it? How are you feeling six days out about the opener?

A: I feel amazing. I feel awesome, man. My mom and my dad are going to be at the game to support me. It's just a blessing, man, just a testament to the hard work that it took to get here. I'm just excited. I'm excited to go out there and play ball.

Q: What do you think for you the biggest difference will be from the three preseason games? Do you expect much more exotic looks? We know skill guys and quarterbacks keep things kind of simple. In the trenches, will there be a big difference between real games and the games you've already played?

A: That's what I'm waiting to see. I haven't played a regular season game yet, so I'm excited to see what that shows. In the preseason, I feel like I got some good looks in preseason, good competition and a lot of good experiences to learn from, so I feel like it'll be the same week 1. Regardless, football is football. The field is 100 yards long and 50 yards wide and that's never going to change.

Q: What has (Tackle) Andrew (Thomas) told you about the start of his rookie year? He played pretty well Week 1, he hit some rough patches, he obviously had a great second year. What has Andrew told you about his rookie year that might relate to you guys? Obviously, you're different people but both came from comparable programs, both high draft picks, both tackles. What has he told you about riding the rollercoaster as a rookie?

A: I love Andrew. Andrew is a great guy, a great mentor for sure. He just told me to focus on what's inside, what's going on inside. Don't really dwell or focus on what's going on outside. Just focus on getting better. Regardless of what type of product is put out there on Sunday, the goal is to get better the next week – just flip the page and then focus on getting better the next week, and just continue to make positive growth as a player. That's pretty much what he's been telling me.

Q: The Giants talked a lot about process on offense all summer. Not necessarily production, but process. It was kind of a process for you too. Can you talk about what you have learned about the NFL and maybe where you think you got better throughout the summer?

A: The NFL is definitely a more technical. I had to become more of a technician. I couldn't just rely so much on just my raw athleticism or talent. I had to become more of a technician as well, working on my pass sets, my set angles. I feel like I'm more comfortable in my sets. I'm using my hands more, and I feel like I'm more balanced as well, but obviously I have a lot of work that still needs to be done. I feel like my game is trending in the right direction.

Q: We started asking you about being 1-0 can do for a team, do you have to change your mindset in terms of what losses mean? When you're in college, one loss puts you on the precipice, two losses basically end your season. I don't think this team is going to go 17-0 but do you have to prepare for losses differently?

A: I've never really had to prepare for losing because I've never really lost too much in the past. I hate losing, I always had. Losing here is not something I'm going to focus on. The goal is to win. Regardless, you're going to win, you're going to lose, but I'm not going to focus on losing – I'm going to do everything in my power to help this team win. If we come up short, we're going to learn from it and move on to the next one.

Q: Do you think you'll have to learn how to do that? You've never really had to come back from losses?

A: Yeah, I'm sure that's going to be an adjustment. Nobody likes to lose. I hope no one likes to lose. I'm sure that's going to be an adjustment for me but it's one that I feel like I'll be able to get past.