Neal high on ex-college wrestler Wise

A former college wrestler, Stephen Neal is one of only a few active Patriots who has three Super Bowl rings. (AP)

By Christopher Price

June 18, 2010

When it comes to minicamp, it’s kind of tough keeping an eye on everything — you have to watch everything all at once, or focus on a specific position group. But when I looked at the offensive line at work over the last week of camp, it was hard not to see veteran Stephen Neal working with rookie John Wise on more than one occasion.

The pairing makes sense — they share a collegiate wrestling background. While Neal didn’t play any college football (he was a collegiate wrestling champ), Wise had a limited college football career, playing for two seasons with Western Illinois before transferring to Illinois and becoming part of the wrestling team. (The Patriots have brought in ex-college wrestlers before — Jermail Porter had a cup of coffee with New England last spring before getting released.)

Neal took a few years before he was able to crack the starting lineup — Patriots coach Bill Belichick recalled Neal’s first days in camp as “starting from zero.”
“He didn’t know how to put his pads on,” Belichick would say later.

Wise isn’t quite starting from zero, according to Neal, who spent time with Wise after practice working on technique.

“I really like the guy,” Neal said of Wise. “He’s a tough kid, a strong guy. Athletic. I’m just trying to tell him … I don’t try to tell him what to do, I just try to … if he asks me a question, I just say ‘Hey, you could have your stance a little bit better this way or that way.’ Just a few little things that I see that might be able to help him. That’s about it.”

If Wise has half the career that Neal has had, he should consider himself lucky. Neal has been in the league since 2001, and has gained a reputation as one of the toughest guards and best run blockers in the AFC.

“It’s great having Steve here. He’s been through the whole ordeal — he knows exactly what I’m going through,” Wise said. “When he sees something I’m doing, I’m sure he can relate to it. He can show me ways to better myself.”

Wise is not only trying to pick up the game of football again, he’s trying to do it at a new position. In college, he was a defensive tackle. Now, he’s working with the New England offensive line.

“Coming from a wrestling background, I can tell you wrestling isn’t an easy sport either,” Wise said. “But I’m not going to compare whether wrestling or football is harder. I’m just thankful for the great opportunity the Patriots gave me to come here. I just put my best foot forward every day and hope to do the best I can.”

Former college wrestlers bond

Patriots rookie offensive linesman John Wise, far left, and veteran guard Stephen Neal both transitioned from college wrestling to professional football. Neal said he told Wise the best way to acclimate is listening to everything he’s told about the game and having an open mind.


By GLEN FARLEY

May 7, 2010

FOXBORO, Mass. —

It’s been nearly a decade since this college wrestler began to come to grips with pro football.

“Mike Vrabel kind of took me under his wing,” veteran New England Patriots guard Stephen Neal recalled. “I was out there in Columbus (Ohio) with him, we were working out, and he’s trying to tell me stuff and I’m (thinking), ‘OK. That doesn’t make any sense, but OK.’

“There were a lot of guys that helped me out. Joe Andruzzi was huge in helping me out. It was great to have all those people helping me out and if I can return the favor to John (Wise) or last year to Jermail (Porter), whatever I can do to help them, ask me any question. I’m not going to try to tell you what to do, but if you have a question I’ll try to answer it.”

Wise and Porter are Neal wannabes. Porter, the former Kent State wrestler, didn’t last long in New England, but he moved on to Kansas City where he is listed as an offensive tackle with the Chiefs.

Wise, who played a year of college ball as a defensive lineman at Western Illinois before transferring to Illinois where he developed into a wrestling All-American, signed with the Patriots late last month and took his first steps as an offensive lineman with the team at last weekend’s rookie minicamp.

Advice for rookie

“I’ve talked to John on the phone and he’s a great kid,” Neal said following a day at the team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program at Gillette Stadium. “If he’s a wrestler, he’s a hard worker. You love having that around. That gets contagious and people work harder and harder, and that’s a great thing.”

Neal’s advice to Wise?

Keep your mind open, mouth shut and most of all, make sure the spirit remains willing.

“I said, ‘Hey, man, just come out here and try to learn as much as you can. Just do what they tell you,’ ” said Neal, who originally signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in July 2001. “Because everybody knew a lot more about football than I did when I first got here.

“So I just kept my mouth shut and tried to do what they told me to do and work(ed) hard. They can see hard work. Even if you have bad technique, they can see you’re working hard.”

Programs in trouble

Neal is going to the mat for the program from whence he came, Cal State-Bakersfield, where he compiled a career record of 151-10 with a pair of NCAA Division I titles.

In February, the college was informed that, due to the California budget crisis, $1.4 million would be needed by May 21 to save the wrestling, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s golf programs for a period of two years.

Neal, who has been actively involved in fundraising efforts, reports that the Roadrunners’ wrestling team has raised $500,000. A dinner auction to raise money for the cause is set for May 15 at the Jam Events Center in Bakersfield.

“I’m not trying to save this for me, I’m not trying to save it for my coach (T.J. Kerr), I’m trying to save it for the kids — the kids that are wrestling, my kids, your kids, whoever wants that opportunity,” said Neal. “It’s not only wrestling, it’s men’s and women’s golf and women’s tennis. At some point, the kids in the community are going to want to be able to have that opportunity.”

To this day, Neal says that opportunity paid off for him, providing him with experience he relies upon from time to time in a sport where he has collected three Super Bowl rings.

“The biggest thing for me is when things don’t go the way they’re supposed to go, I can recover because I’m used to hand fighting and wrestling and getting off balance,” said Neal, who has appeared in 78 games in an injury-plagued career.

“So that’s the kind of stuff that you don’t teach: Don’t do the right thing so you can get in this (predicament). Just in case something bad happens, that’s when you have to use that experience.”

Wrestler makes Wise move in trying to hook on with Pats

By Glen Farley

May 2, 2010

FOXBORO —

His college wrestling career behind him, John Wise was left with one of those life decisions: Should he pursue employment bouncing off turnbuckles or banging helmets in football's trenches?

"Once I finished up wrestling, there's not much of an opportunity," Wise said. "There's not, like, professional wresting. I guess there is, but it's the (WWE).
"I always enjoyed playing football in high school. I enjoyed playing my freshman year in college. I was like, hey, give it a shot."

The New England Patriots - who dug up guard Stephen Neal - are giving the 2009 wrestling All-America that shot.

Yesterday, the 6-5, 298-pound wrestling heavyweight-turned-offensive lineman went through his second straight day of double sessions as an undrafted free agent at the Patriots rookie minicamp.

"Right now, I'm just coming out on the field trying to put my best foot forward every day," Wise said. "Just trying to give my best every time I come out here."

He began his college athletic career as a defensive lineman at Western Illinois, registering 16 tackles and one forced fumble in nine games in 2004 before transferring to Illinois to wrestle.

At Western Illinois, Wise qualified for wrestling's NCAA Championships three times, finishing seventh at the national tournament last year.

Now, though, Wise strives to follow the path of Neal, a nine-year veteran originally signed as an undrafted free agent following a championship wrestling career at Cal State-Bakersfield. Last year, the Patriots took a look at Jermail Porter, the former Kent State wrestler who is now an offensive tackle with the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I think that's actually what helped me get in this program," Wise said of the Pats' past practice. "I'm giving it my shot. Neal's walked a mile in my shoes and hopefully I can do as well as he did."

Just as he did with Neal, it was agent Neil Cornrich who put out feelers to NFL teams for Wise.

"A lot of coaches know that wrestlers have good work ethic, but a lot of times that doesn't matter because everyone here has a great work ethic," said Wise. "It's just making those calls and getting the coaches willing enough to come down and look at you and see what you've got, and if they think you've got it they'll give you a shot."

While there is a carryover effect from wrestling ("a lot of skills translate - foot work, hand work"), Wise admits he wished he'd never strayed from football.

"I do (regret it) because obviously the transition would be a little bit easier if I didn't," said Wise, "but I chose the path I chose and I'm doing what I'm doing now."

From the mat to the Pats

By Ian R. Rapoport

April 30, 2010

FOXBORO - A collegiate wrestler, Central Michigan’s all-time leading receiver and the brother of a former Patriot highlight the list of undrafted free agents who have signed contracts with the Patriots [team stats].

Coach Bill Belichick added eight players to the roster in time for today’s rookie minicamp, which begins at 10:15 a.m.

John Wise, a former All-American wrestler at Illinois, is hoping to become another find, a la former collegiate wrestling champion and starting guard Stephen Neal. Wise last played football as a freshman at Western Illinois.

On the football field, ex-Chippewas star Bryan Anderson is the most accomplished. The 6-foot-5 receiver left as his school’s all-time leading receiver after making 290 catches for 3,648 yards.

He’s joined by Ross Ventrone, a Villanova safety whose brother Ray spent time as a Patriot. As for Notre Dame safety Sergio Brown, he played under current Patriots coach Corwin Brown with the Fighting Irish. Brown had 50 tackles and a sack in 2009.

The other players are Montana State linebacker Dane Fletcher, California (Penn.) defensive back Terrence Johnson, Mississippi State defensive lineman Kyle Love, and North Dakota State running back Pat Paschall.