Evan Neal on returning to Giants practice, thoughts on uncertain role | SNY

How did it feel to be back at practice and how do you generally feel we feel good to be back? Garden has been a long time. So it's always good to be back out there with the guys. One of the last nine months been like for you just we know rehabbing trying to get back healthy standing shape keeping my mentally into the game and we're doing everything that I can to get back out there. My timeline is correct. We haven't talked to you since before they change the diagnosis of your injury you have any ill will towards the Giants that they did they didn't know what your original injury was no ill-will whatsoever. The X training staff has done everything. They can to help me get back healthy just can't help or misdiagnosis. I mean things like that happen. It's nobody's fault or your reaction when you found that out of it wasn't a spraying yet to go get surgery who doesn't know the things I won't have to overcome. Yeah, nothing about I was gonna have to overcome how much have these months and months tested you. I mean quite a lot. I mean it was the first time I've ever been injured. You know what I'm sayin to that extent first time getting surgery right into the way I'm built for it. I feel like I have came back stronger. So if anything I feel like it helped me, how much were you doing out there today? I just thought about doing individual drills kind of knocking the dust off taking the cobwebs off and get back into it. They've obviously moved Jermaine tilt right tackle. How do you look at that? And the job fact the job isn't waiting there for you anymore. Whatever role that the team has for me. I'm going to embrace it. So whether that's starting not starting I'm going to contribute to the team and you won't do everything in my power to do so high-level contributor though and be you know, high level athlete high-level competitor high draft pick. I'm sure you feel like you deserve to be starting though. I mean, I'm not old anything and I can't feel like I deserve anything. I mean all I want is what I work for are you playing catch-up? Do you feel you're catching up since everybody's got a three-week start. I mean that's not something that I think about because that's not something that I can control this control. Like I dress every day. The rehab process that you'd feel good one day, but then the next day you feel right and kind of kind of rolled that role goes to a little it's kind of tricky especially with it, you know being a bone you can't really do anything, you know, two of them other than just let it heal. So, you know some days I go out and their feel really good, you know other days, you know, not as good so but I feel like I've been feeling as of lately, you know, just consistent enough to be able to go back out there and I'll contribute to the team so that's where I'm at. Brings it look like you are progressing and then they shut you down. Yeah, I mean, like I said in the spring, which is one of those things like they decided to back off me because I was having more days where I wasn't filled feeling. Well then days in the woods feeling good. So it just kind of decided to just back up off me. Diagnosis, what? What did you I'd come back from ankle. Surgery January said are you are you surprised it took this long? Because generally and Ankle surgery those of us who don't play football think it's going to be a fairly Swift recovery and yours was not everybody's different. I'm a large man. I put a lot of pressure a lot of weight on my ankle. Everybody's body is different. I mean nothing's natural about it surgery, you know getting cut open so your body's going to have a different response or there's not a cookie cutter model in terms of, you know, winter players going to be back on. Not only book. What's this process just been like to deal with emotionally and I'm trying to navigate. I mean, it's another thing. I'm going to have to overcome. I mean obviously that's not something that you know, I wanted to happen. I mean, I'm just not going to worry about the things that are out of my control. You know, what I can control is how I approach every day continuing to get healthy continuing to refine my skills and do everything that I can to contribute to the Team One Way or Another and can you work but during an offseason. Can you work on the mental aspect of handling the pressure of playing in this market? The ups and downs is that anything that you put time into like maybe how you approach paying attention to certain things or I mean in this business and it's not working especially in the city pressure is going to be there. But I mean that's not something that you know, I think about because that's not something that I create. So at the end of the day like I'm just going to focus on you know, controlling what I can control my attitude know how I approach the game, you know going out there and playing as well as I can. So to me the pressure really doesn't exist. You got shut down or your told you needed that surgery and it was a Sure, what were the emotions at that point is I'm sure you were looking to try and get back on the field to put better tape on that just took us back to that. Like I said, I mean it definitely kind of like call me by left field. I mean really, you know everybody because it was something that initially, you know, Connor wasn't seen on the initial scan, but I just knew it was going to be another thing that I'm going to have to overcome. I mean that was something that was out of my control. So I'm just gonna have to deal with it the best way that I knew I would the time we attach something or to clean up. Up loose particles or how would they how do they describe it to you? I'm not a doctor so I can't really describe it in depth and I got cut open. I'm going to sleep for it. So career took off when his ankle got right. Yeah the two surgeries and then it took off have you talked to him about that and you use that as kind of an encouraging blueprint? I mean not so much about his, you know career taking off or anything like that after the surgery, but I do talk to him, you know all the time just in terms of like on you know, how he got his ankle back. Goethe some of the things that he would do and you know, maybe doing his rehab process as well with some of the hurdles or the obstacles that you know he faced and you know, he give me some of the best Insight that he could Bad timing is bad timing, but it's halfway through your rookie contract to do you how do you look at? How would you describe your first two years? And do you look at this as a pivotal point in your career? I mean, yeah, it's a big year for me. I'm not going to sit here and act like it's not but I didn't do the day, you know the past two years. They weren't perfect by any means but you know, I feel like there was solid. I mean they definitely weren't you know what, you know, I want them to be but a lot of things that happened were just out of My control so just like the future, you know is out of my control. I can only control the present, you know, and how I approach every single day and that would be a big indication of my future in the seasonings to play better. What was your reaction when you heard him say that that's his opinion. I mean that's his job to evaluate the players and you know, if he thinks I need I need to play better then. I mean, I'd be the first person to tell myself that I need to play better. So I really don't know how to really come out of jewels mouth anybody's mouth. But you know, I'm always going to be you know, the Harshest critic on myself. So we need to play better. Yeah, I need to play better. You should you do anything if they said they guard did you play guard? Like I said, whatever role that I'm after doing it to me want to embrace it, you know to the best of my ability.