Neal and Giants to kick off NFL preseason Thursday

Posted 8/10/22

The NFL preseason kicks off this week and Okeechobee’s Evan Neal will be playing in one of the first games on the schedule.

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Neal and Giants to kick off NFL preseason Thursday

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The NFL preseason kicks off this week and Okeechobee’s Evan Neal will be playing in one of the first games on the schedule.

Neal and the New York Giants will travel to take on the New England Patriots at 7 p.m. on Aug. 11.

The Giants and Patriots are meeting for the ninth time in a preseason opener. The teams met in the preseason finale every year from 2005-19.

Neal recently changed jersey numbers, reverting back to 73, the number he wore in high school and college.

The number opened up this week when the Giants released offensive tackle Matt Gono, who had been on the exempt list. Neal, who was wearing No. 70, was glad it opened up but would have been fine with keeping the one he was assigned upon being drafted.

"It's just the number that I've always worn," Neal said. "So it's just grown on me."

"I expect it to be fast, aggressive, up-tempo, and violent, just like any other football game would be," Neal said of the preseason opener in New England. "I'm excited for that."

Neal comes a family with plenty of athletic talent. His father, Eddie, played linebacker at Tulane…His uncle, Cleveland Gary, played running back at Georgia and Miami before becoming a 1989 first-round draft choice, playing 6 seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins. Neal's uncle, Jimmie Jones, was a defensive lineman at Miami and a third-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, playing 8 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.

For fans in Okeechobee hoping to see Neal take the field for the first time as a Giant, the NFL’s new streaming service, NFL+, may by an option.

In a press release the league reports that NFL+ marks the next evolution of the NFL's direct-to-consumer offering, building upon what the league developed with NFL Game Pass. Adding that the service is their commitment to bringing fans the content they want and delivering a marquee direct-to-consumer experience.

NFL+ will carry all out-of-market preseason games live. For those in Okeechobee, that includes the upcoming Giants and Patriots preseason game.

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