Pats' Stephen Neal retiring

By Mike Reiss

March 3, 2011

New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal's unexpected 10-year NFL career is coming to an end. Neal, who improbably went from collegiate wrestler to professional football blocker, is retiring, the team announced Wednesday.

The decision does not come as a surprise. The 34-year-old Neal had considered retirement last offseason before re-signing with the Patriots for two years.

"They don't come any better than Steve Neal," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "In terms of improvement and development as a player, Steve may have accomplished more than any player I have ever been around. His toughness, intelligence and competitiveness were at rare levels and all contributed to him going from being a champion in an individual sport to being an integral part of championship teams. I congratulate Steve for an incredible career and thank him for everything he did for me personally, our team and organization."

Neal's progression from college wrestler to pro football player was one of Belichick's favorite stories to tell.

Neal had not played football at Cal State-Bakersfield; instead, he was a top wrestler, posting a 151-10 record that included two Division I titles. In 2001, Neal signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent and Belichick has joked in the past that the team had to teach him how to put on football equipment.

By 2004, Neal broke through as a consistent starter, the balance and leverage he had utilized in wrestling transferring to the field. One of the high points of his career came that season when he was the starting right guard as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX.

In all, Neal played in 86 regular-season games, with 81 starts. He also played in 12 playoff games, starting each of them.

Injuries have been mounting for Neal in recent years. In 2010, he was limited to eight games with a shoulder injury and was placed on season-ending injured reserve Dec. 2. After the season, Neal said he planned to rehab his shoulder injury and then make a decision about his playing future.

Six-year veteran Dan Connolly, who took over Neal's spot at right guard last season after his injury, is the team's projected starter entering 2011.

This could be one of several changes for the Patriots along the offensive line, as starting left tackle Matt Light is scheduled for unrestricted free agency and starting left guard Logan Mankins has been assigned the franchise tag.

Opening statement from retiring Patriots' lineman Stephen Neal

March 3, 2011

By Christopher Price

Before his Q-and-A with reporters this afternoon, Stephen Neal delivered an opening statement. Here is the full transcript of what he said before he took questions from the media:

"I never really was one who enjoyed the spotlight, but rather loved sport and competition. My first love was football, but graduated high school at 17 years old and being 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, limited my opportunities. Wrestling was my best option and I attacked that challenge. Thanks to T.J. Kerr and Darryl Pope, my college coaches at Cal-State Bakersfield, I became a four-time All-American and a two-time National Champ, and a World Champion in 1999.

"In 2000, I failed to make the Olympic team, but that allowed me to meet Neil Cornrich, who is my agent. And thanks to him, he got me to the doorstep to the NFL, so thank you Neil. Then, I met coach [Bill] Belchick, and he opened that door, so thank you, coach Belichick. I learned the sport of football and the dedication needed for success in the NFL from Bill and Dante Scarnecchia. The dedication that they showed being the first one into the building and the last one to leave is something that's truly amazing and the reason for the success of the Patriots each and every year. So, thank you Dante, for everything. And then having success in this league is only possible with great ownership, and so I want to thank the Kraft family they really made me feel like part of the family when I was there.

"And it is truly special what happens in New England, and its something I will definitely miss. The sport of football is a brutal sport, and injuries are part of this game. The training, strength and medical staff here are top notch, and they are a huge factor to my success and the teams success. So thank all of you very much. You helped me stick around for so long.

"Of course, football is not an individual sport. I want to thank each and every teammate and coach who have walked through this building in the last 10 years. They have all helped me to have success in this game, so thank you guys. I want to thank each and every one of you. Without the media and the fans, the sport could not continue at the level it is at, so I would like to thank you for the coverage and the support you have shown me over the years. We definitely have the greatest fans in the country, and being in New England, when the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Pats all have success, its just a great environment and something I will never forget.

"I also want to recognize two good friends I made in New England. We have Chris Robertson, who is my go-to guy at Stop and Shop. He is a great guy. Thanks Chris. And Rich Burns, who is a great friend and fan, neighbor, and a great guy. So thank you Rich I will give you a call in a day or two.

"And all this is really possible because of my family. My Mom, my Dad Mike and Dave, my brothers. They all believed in me and never doubted my dreams. They were always there for me. And my wife Jodee put everything down in Bakersfield to follow me out here to New England. She has been my support through this entire journey. Always there for me after a win, loss, injuries, everything, with her arms wide open. She is there raising our beautiful girls, Colby and Jillian, and our stubborn copy of me, Gunnar. Our little guy. I just cant wait. My family is my new team, and I hope we can go undefeated for the rest of our lives. Thank you guys. Any questions you have, I will try and help you out."

Donald Washington: Through the Roof

By Josh Looney

March 2, 2011

Despite a number of eye-popping combine performances, Donald Washington can still out-jump everyone

From Oregon State DT Stephen Paea’s record-setting 49 bench press reps to Nevada DE Dontay Moch’s 4.45 40-yard dash, this year’s NFL Combine wasn’t short of remarkable physical performances.

Despite the load of eye-popping results turned in over the last week, one of the event’s most impressive records remains intact. Donald Washington’s 45-inch vertical.

Opting to leave Ohio State as a junior, Washington put on a physical show before NFL scouts in February of 2009. He jumped through the roof that day in addition to posting an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump. The same distance that Alabama WR Julio Jones jumped to set the football world abuzz Sunday afternoon, Washington’s broad jump was just one inch short of the combine record.

But the 45 inch vertical is the mark that still stands, 2.5 inches better than this year’s best performance turned in by Nevada TE Virgil Green.

To put Washington’s 45-inch vertical into perspective, take a look at the best jumps turned in at the NBA’s Pre-Draft Camp.

According the good folks at draftexpress.com, only one hoopster has topped Washington’s mark since the site started tracking results in 1989 – Kenny Gregory’s 45.5-inch jump in 2001. Coming in second, a full 1.5 inches below Washington (43.5, 2004) is NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson.

A Combine warrior, Washington also posted an impressive time of 6.84 in the three-cone drill and a 4.49 40-yard dash to round-out one of the Combine’s best overall performances in 2009.

Coming out of Ohio State a year early and regarded as a raw athlete, teams knew that Washington’s skills would need polishing before he’d become a regular contributor at the NFL level. Kansas City took a chance on Washington with the second pick in the fourth round, but would have to wait a little longer to get Washington fully entrenched into the system.

Due to Ohio State’s academic schedule set in quarters, Washington’s class schedule took him into June and NCAA/NFL rules prevented him from reporting for the majority OTAs. Development was delayed.

In his first two NFL seasons, Washington has played in 20 games (two starts) and posted 27 tackles. He also owns 13 career special teams stops.

It’s a bit early to get into spotlighting players who have a critical off-season ahead of them, but Washington certainly fits that mode. He’s served mostly a reserve role since joining the Chiefs, but is still just 24 years old and plays in multiple areas of the defensive backfield where the Chiefs are searching for depth.

Washington switched to safety last season after playing cornerback as a rookie.

The Chiefs placed an emphasis on developing in-house talent last off-season and, specifically, Head Coach Todd Haley keyed on players entering their third NFL season. After all was said and done, Kansas City’s third-year players played a critical role in the Chiefs re-claiming the AFC West title.

If the class of threes hadn’t performed the way they had in 2010, it would have been hard to imagine Kansas City still winning the division.

Here are the third-year players that finished the season on Kansas City’s 53-man active roster.

Running Backs (3): Jackie Battle, Jamaal Charles, Mike Cox

Offensive Linemen (2): Branden Albert, Barry Richardson

Defensive Linemen (2): Glenn Dorsey, Wallace Gilberry

Linebackers (1): Andy Studebaker

Defensive Backs (2): Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers

Specialists (1): Thomas Gafford

“The cupboard wasn’t bare when Todd and I arrived to Kansas City,” GM Scott Pioli said at the scouting combine. “There were some pretty good football players there.”

Both Haley and Pioli referenced three years as the barometer for evaluating a draft class. Next year brings a new group of threes that the Chiefs will count on for further development. In addition to Washington, that list includes players like Tyson Jackson, Jovan Belcher and Ryan Succop.

While Washington continues to work on his pro game, his record vertical lasts another year. It’s a jump that may stand for quite some time.