Packers activate Mike Neal, cut Phillip Merling

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 6, 2012, 5:04 PM EDT
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Packers defensive lineman Mike Neal, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for what he says was a positive test for the prescription drug Adderall, is now back in Green Bay. And Phillip Merling is on the way out.

The Packers confirmed today that they have activated Neal from the reserve/suspended list to the 53-man roster, and to make room for Neal on the roster they’ve cut Merling.

Neal has played in nine games in two seasons since the Packers took him in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft and hasn’t been much of a factor.

The Dolphins selected Merling with the first pick of the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, but he was a disappointment, with just 3.5 sacks in four seasons. This year he signed with the Packers and played in three games, but now he’s gone from Green Bay, and this could be the end of the line for a major draft disappointment.

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27 responses to “Packers activate Mike Neal, cut Phillip Merling”

  2. A defensive lineman that hasn’t been much of a factor?

    The Packers have their very own Jared Allen!

  7. Seems the great Packer drafting days are only memories, like most of the Packers prehistoric chumpionships,,,the Vikings are the King of the Draft

  8. Merling, another superb Jeff Ireland 2nd round pick. he can now go hang out with Pat White and Chad Henne, some of Ireland’s other 2nd round gems.

  9. Phillip Merling was one of Bill Parcell’s drafted players after he became VP of operations for the Miami Dolphins. Parcells should have paid the Dolphins for the horrific job that he did. We can now all see why organizations did not want him to buy the groceries when he was a Head Coach.

  16. thetokyosandblaster says:
    Oct 6, 2012 5:17 PM
    A defensive lineman that hasn’t been much of a factor?

    The Packers have their very own Jared Allen!
    —
    Obsessed much with the Vikings. You know, for a team that swears the vikings are not their rivals you sure do pay a lot of attention to them. Much more than the Bears or the Lions.

  19. contra74 says:
    Oct 6, 2012 7:29 PM
    thetokyosandblaster says:
    Oct 6, 2012 5:17 PM
    A defensive lineman that hasn’t been much of a factor?

    The Packers have their very own Jared Allen!
    —
    Obsessed much with the Vikings. You know, for a team that swears the vikings are not their rivals you sure do pay a lot of attention to them. Much more than the Bears or the Lions.

    —

    You want to talk obsession? You post waaaay more on Packers posts than you do on Vikings posts. My guess is you were dumped by a Wisconsin woman and had to go back to your livestock, and you’re still bitter.

  20. Phillip Merling; check out the New Orleans Saints they in need of defensive players but you must do your job. Packers are looking at so are eager to play don’t mean when he get on doesn’t mean he going to give you what you are looking for in him. So good luck Phillip Merling on your career look someone will get you.

  24. “Obsessed much with the Vikings. You know, for a team that swears the vikings are not their rivals you sure do pay a lot of attention to them. Much more than the Bears or the Lions.”
    ———————————————————–

    I would not call the Vikings a rival, more like that annoying little neighbor kid who talks big from time to time but has nothing to back it up. The Bears are the Packer’s biggest rival because the fan base has a mutual respect for each other for always being loyal and devout. The term “blackout” does not exist in GB or Chicago.

  25. I thought we cut Merling in the final cut down. Damn not we pay all his veteran minimum salary. I don’t like neal, I think Daniels will be way better, cut the bust/druggy, and save roster space for an injury.

  26. Can I suggest we let up on Contra74?

    Ya, he’s a troll and thinks of himself as witty but he does suffer from an Inferiority complex that comes with being a Viking fan. I am guessing that he faces long odds of eventually getting out of his mom’s basement but we should all wish him luck.

  27. burrito12 is right on the money.

    I don’t think anyone other than a Packers fan or a Bears fan could even begin to understand this rivalry. There’s none like it in all of sports and there likely never will be.

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