TheMat.com had an exclusive opportunity to speak with Stephen Neal, the World Champion freestyle wrestler who has been signed by the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Neal has not played football since high school, and has been given an opportunity to try out for professional football, based upon his athletic skills and his achievements in wrestling.    Neal called in during a break in the training camp, which is being held in Smithfield, R.I.    TheMat.com: What has training camp been like, since you have not played any football for such a long time?  Neal: "The first few days, the helmet felt like it weighed 20 pounds. My neck got a little tired. But it is going well. I've never played football at this level. It's a new thing. I feel I am improving each day. I can't do all it in a day. It will take time."    TheMat.com: How are you approaching the daily training?  Neal: "I'm going out and working as hard as I can. Hopefully, it will all work out. Right now, it is a little different. Everybody here is a rookie, or is coming off an injury. Tomorrow, the veterans arrive, and it will be a whole new ballgame."    TheMat.com: You are now in professional football. Are you treating it like a job?  Neal: "That is one attitude that I have. But, this is a dream for me to get a shot. I have to look at it as if I can't let myself wake up from this dream. I have to work hard, like it is a job. But having a dream is a motivator for me."    TheMat.com: Everybody is asking, will Stephen Neal ever wrestle again?  Neal: "I have to wait and see. If something works out for me, it not up to me, it's up to the people who are paying me. If it doesn't work out, then wrestling will always be there for me."    TheMat.com: How has wrestling helped you in the football training?  Neal: "Mentally, there are times when you feel like you want to break. You are being pushed, and getting so tired. You have to decide, do you want to go hard, or just hold back. The way I wrestle, I attack the legs. In football, when your head is down, it is not very good. My wrestling will help me to pick up things more quickly. But playing defensive line, the wrestling skills are not always good technique. Now, if I was doing Greco-Roman, it might be different. I am certainly learning different stuff."    TheMat.com: Has any of the athletes or coaches asked you about your wrestling?  Neal: "There are a few guys who wrestled or had friends who wrestled. Some of them went to colleges that had good wrestling teams. They are asking me some questions. They have an appreciation of wrestling a bit. It doesn't make a difference on the field, for sure."    TheMat.com: After a few days in camp, what do you feel it will take to succeed?  Neal: If I work my butt off and try to learn, they will take into consideration that I haven't played much football. If I keep progressing and learning, I have a shot to have them like me and want to work with me."    TheMat.com: Does it make a difference that Carlton Haselrig (former wrestler who became an NFL All-Pro) did this?  Neal: "People have talked about him a bit. It has helped me out. It's not like this is a fairy tale. It has actually happened before."    TheMat.com: Have many people contacted you to congratulate you about the football opportunity?  Neal: "Just my family and a few others. I have been so busy. I am so far behind. When we are not working out or in meetings, every minute of the day my nose is in the playbook. We don't have a practice for 24 hours, so I have a little chance to catch up today."    TheMat.com: The published reports say that wrestler Matt Ghaffari had something to do with you getting this chance. Is it true?  Neal: "Yes. At the World Team Trials, I was coming off the mat, and he was telling me about how I had to work on the clinch. I told him that I was going to go try out for football. He came back to me about football at Bruce Baumgartner's camp, and asked if I was serious about football. Matt knew an agent. The next day, they called me and said they had set up a tryout for me. Without Matt, it wouldn't have been possible."    TheMat.com: How has wrestling helped you to get a chance to play pro football?  Neal: "I couldn't be doing this without wrestling. Because of my accomplishments in the sport of wrestling, I got a shot at my dreams. I owe this all to wrestling."