Evan Neal apologizes after criticizing 'sheep' Giants fans, fair-weather 'bandwagoners'

Four games into the season, frustrations are boiling over in East Rutherford.

During the New York Giants' 21-point home loss in prime time to the Seattle Seahawks, things unraveled, with the offensive line surrendering 11 sacks, Daniel Jones tossing a field-flipping pick-six and coach Brian Daboll seemingly tossing a tablet out of frustration on the sidelines. The Giants fans in attendance at MetLife Stadium responded in kind, audibly booing their soon-to-be 1-3 team, a Bronx cheer in the swamps of Jersey.

Right tackle Evan Neal didn't take too kindly to the fans' response on Monday night.

"They were booing us, so I said, 'Boo louder!'" Neal told Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media on Wednesday.

The second-year offensive lineman didn't stop there in regards to critics of his play and the team, asking Slater, "Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? ... The person that's commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?"

Asked by Slater why he told fans to boo louder, Neal added, "Because that just further shows that people are fair-weather. A lot of fans are bandwagoners. I mean, I get it: They want to see us perform well. And I respect all of that. But no one wants us to perform well more than we do.

"And how can you say you're really a fan when we're out there battling our asses off -- and the game wasn't going well -- but the best you can do is boo your home team? So how much of a fan are you, really?"

Neal, who's allowed 25 QB pressures in four games this season, second-most in the NFL, said he's quite aware that he and his fellow offensive linemen need to be better for the Giants to turn the page.

"We've got to keep fighting," he said of New York's banged-up line. "We