Man of Steal
01-08-2007, 08:20 PM
1st post, and a good opportunity to talk about my favorite football player of my lifetime-Lorenzo Neal. Neal was just elected as the fullback for the AFC Pro Bowl team today as he led the way for LaDainian Tomlinson in his MVP campaign.
Neal has had a very interesting career and represents the ultimate example of the player who does not get credit for what he does. I hate to use cliches but Neal's performance is an example of the intracacies of football, which, unlike baseball, cannot be statistically quantified in any way. Neal is regarded as one of the most punishing blockers in the NFL today. As an opposing linebacker I would certainly be aware of the amazing back that is LaDainian Tomlinson in the Chargers backfield but I may be more wary of Lorenzo Neal and his 5 foot 11, 255 pound body trying to level you to the ground. Neal has had a 14 year career to this point, and most of it has been exclusively on his ability to level opposing tacklers and not to allow them to tackle his running back. He has made seven straight Pro Bowls as of now so obvioulsy his contribution has not gone unnoticed to everyone but I think his career is an interesting one and its story deserves to be put down.
Neal was born in California near Fresno in 1970 and grew up there. He went to Lenmore High School and was a very successful football player but football actually wasn't his best sport. He also was a state champion heavyweight wrestler. His success in wrestling continued when he went to college at Fresno State and was an All-American wrestler there.
Neal also played football at Fresno State, of course. Despite his great NFL success in the blocking role Neal was not always supposed to be a blocker. In college he was a great running back at Fresno State, setting the school record with 2405 rushing yards over his career there. He also graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. Because of his great success as a runner Neal was projected to be a successful runner in the NFL as well. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 4th round in the 1993 NFL draft as a running back. Two games into his career he looked like a great pick as in his first game he had gained 89 yards on 13 carries and in the second game he broke off a 74 yard touchdown run with his first carry.
Neal may have become a great running back, but later in the game Neal suffered an injury that would dramatically change the course of his career. He broke his ankle in the third quarter of that 2nd game of his career while taking his thrid carry of the game. He was out for the rest of the year. His final stats for that year were impressive for limited time, 175 yards in 21 carries and an extremely impressive 8.3 yards per carry.
But the injury had made Neal a forgotten man for the Saints and also taken away much of his speed. He had a big frame though and was made a fullback the next year. The Saints drafted running back Mario Bates next year to take the place as the Saints feature back for the 1994 season. Neal did not originally take kindly to the move. He had gotten the ball ever since he had started playing football. Unfortunately, he took out his anger against Bates. When they were at a bar Neal insisted that Bates should provide him with money to buy a drink as a rookie. Bates refused and Neal proceeded to punch him in the face, breaking his jaw and sidelining him for four weeks. Big mistake.
Perhaps this incident made Neal all the more determined to get over his stuggles and unhappiness and just do the job he was presented with. He played in all 16 games for the Saints in '94 as a blocking fullback. This would be his permanent position for the rest of his career. With the Saints he continued to develop and learn this position. He had been humbled somewhat by his incident with Bates, and, most importantly, was never complained about again in the future as a clubhouse distraction. In fact as he got older he became a team leader and a great interview who gets along well with interviewers and reporters alike. In 2005 he was named to NFL.com's All Interview Team for the best interviews in football. It would have been hard to imagine Neal maturing that much after the incident he had earlier.
As he moved on in his career Neal became progressively better. In 1997 with the Jets he helped running back Adrian Murrell to a 1000 yard season. This would be the first of Neal's current streak of 9 straight years blocking for a 1000 yard runner. His success has come with so many different backs (Murrell, Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Corey Dillon, and Tomlinson) that it is hard to claim Neal's consistency in devlivering these runners is mere coincidence.
Neal has another record/attribute of great significance outside of his unquestioned blocking excellence, and that is his durability. Ever since that injury in the 1993 season Neal has played every single game every single year, 192 straight games. Neal rates along with Brett Favre as perhaps the most consistently durable player in the NFL today. Neal also packs a bit more punch in his play these days than Favre does as he probably is the best fullback in the NFL.
Much of Neal's unbelieveable strength and conditioning comes from his tough offseason training. Remember how successful he was as a high school and college wrestler? Well, this plays a key role in his success as a professional football player even today. He works out in the offseason with wrestlers and boxers and his brother, Eddie, is a professional heavyweight boxer.
Today Neal receives acccolades as the best fullback in the league as as the key lead blocker for stud back LaDainian Tomlinson. He also is now a very dignified presence for the Chargers. He helps to administrate a foundation with the Chargers which stresses getting a college education to young athletes in Fresno.
After his career Neal wants to join sports broadcasting somewhere. He has already made token appearances on NFL Network as a host on NFL Total Access. Neal is a great player, a great fullback, and has been key to the success of this year's MVP. Hopefully his legacy will not be soon forgotten. Of course, Neal still remains one of the best in the NFL despite his old age (currently 36 years old) and who knows how long he can continue to bust seams for LT and the Chargers. You never know, perhaps the HOF is even in his future. There should be room for a guy who has been one of the best blocking fullbacks and most durable players in the leauge for over 10 years.
Much of the info for this was found in these sources.
http://www.chargers.com/team/roster/lorenzo-neal.htm
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6274578
Neal has had a very interesting career and represents the ultimate example of the player who does not get credit for what he does. I hate to use cliches but Neal's performance is an example of the intracacies of football, which, unlike baseball, cannot be statistically quantified in any way. Neal is regarded as one of the most punishing blockers in the NFL today. As an opposing linebacker I would certainly be aware of the amazing back that is LaDainian Tomlinson in the Chargers backfield but I may be more wary of Lorenzo Neal and his 5 foot 11, 255 pound body trying to level you to the ground. Neal has had a 14 year career to this point, and most of it has been exclusively on his ability to level opposing tacklers and not to allow them to tackle his running back. He has made seven straight Pro Bowls as of now so obvioulsy his contribution has not gone unnoticed to everyone but I think his career is an interesting one and its story deserves to be put down.
Neal was born in California near Fresno in 1970 and grew up there. He went to Lenmore High School and was a very successful football player but football actually wasn't his best sport. He also was a state champion heavyweight wrestler. His success in wrestling continued when he went to college at Fresno State and was an All-American wrestler there.
Neal also played football at Fresno State, of course. Despite his great NFL success in the blocking role Neal was not always supposed to be a blocker. In college he was a great running back at Fresno State, setting the school record with 2405 rushing yards over his career there. He also graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. Because of his great success as a runner Neal was projected to be a successful runner in the NFL as well. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 4th round in the 1993 NFL draft as a running back. Two games into his career he looked like a great pick as in his first game he had gained 89 yards on 13 carries and in the second game he broke off a 74 yard touchdown run with his first carry.
Neal may have become a great running back, but later in the game Neal suffered an injury that would dramatically change the course of his career. He broke his ankle in the third quarter of that 2nd game of his career while taking his thrid carry of the game. He was out for the rest of the year. His final stats for that year were impressive for limited time, 175 yards in 21 carries and an extremely impressive 8.3 yards per carry.
But the injury had made Neal a forgotten man for the Saints and also taken away much of his speed. He had a big frame though and was made a fullback the next year. The Saints drafted running back Mario Bates next year to take the place as the Saints feature back for the 1994 season. Neal did not originally take kindly to the move. He had gotten the ball ever since he had started playing football. Unfortunately, he took out his anger against Bates. When they were at a bar Neal insisted that Bates should provide him with money to buy a drink as a rookie. Bates refused and Neal proceeded to punch him in the face, breaking his jaw and sidelining him for four weeks. Big mistake.
Perhaps this incident made Neal all the more determined to get over his stuggles and unhappiness and just do the job he was presented with. He played in all 16 games for the Saints in '94 as a blocking fullback. This would be his permanent position for the rest of his career. With the Saints he continued to develop and learn this position. He had been humbled somewhat by his incident with Bates, and, most importantly, was never complained about again in the future as a clubhouse distraction. In fact as he got older he became a team leader and a great interview who gets along well with interviewers and reporters alike. In 2005 he was named to NFL.com's All Interview Team for the best interviews in football. It would have been hard to imagine Neal maturing that much after the incident he had earlier.
As he moved on in his career Neal became progressively better. In 1997 with the Jets he helped running back Adrian Murrell to a 1000 yard season. This would be the first of Neal's current streak of 9 straight years blocking for a 1000 yard runner. His success has come with so many different backs (Murrell, Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Corey Dillon, and Tomlinson) that it is hard to claim Neal's consistency in devlivering these runners is mere coincidence.
Neal has another record/attribute of great significance outside of his unquestioned blocking excellence, and that is his durability. Ever since that injury in the 1993 season Neal has played every single game every single year, 192 straight games. Neal rates along with Brett Favre as perhaps the most consistently durable player in the NFL today. Neal also packs a bit more punch in his play these days than Favre does as he probably is the best fullback in the NFL.
Much of Neal's unbelieveable strength and conditioning comes from his tough offseason training. Remember how successful he was as a high school and college wrestler? Well, this plays a key role in his success as a professional football player even today. He works out in the offseason with wrestlers and boxers and his brother, Eddie, is a professional heavyweight boxer.
Today Neal receives acccolades as the best fullback in the league as as the key lead blocker for stud back LaDainian Tomlinson. He also is now a very dignified presence for the Chargers. He helps to administrate a foundation with the Chargers which stresses getting a college education to young athletes in Fresno.
After his career Neal wants to join sports broadcasting somewhere. He has already made token appearances on NFL Network as a host on NFL Total Access. Neal is a great player, a great fullback, and has been key to the success of this year's MVP. Hopefully his legacy will not be soon forgotten. Of course, Neal still remains one of the best in the NFL despite his old age (currently 36 years old) and who knows how long he can continue to bust seams for LT and the Chargers. You never know, perhaps the HOF is even in his future. There should be room for a guy who has been one of the best blocking fullbacks and most durable players in the leauge for over 10 years.
Much of the info for this was found in these sources.
http://www.chargers.com/team/roster/lorenzo-neal.htm
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6274578