Manti Te'o, LB Notre Dame

[Bolt-O]

For all things Manti!



Overview

Te’o (pronounced TAY-oh, first name is MAN-tie) decided to follow the example of his former teammate, receiver Michael Floyd, in returning to South Bend for his senior year despite having the talent to leave early for the NFL. Floyd parlayed a very good final campaign with the Irish into a first-round draft slot, as he was selected 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals; that’s something Te’o also hopes to emulate this April, and winning multiple national awards and finishing second in Heisman voting doesn't hurt that goal.


It was a recruiting coup for Notre Dame to land Te’o, a consensus top ten national recruit, the Sporting News’ High School Athlete of the Year and USA Today’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. And the fact Te’o did not take a two-year service Mormon mission after high school meant he got a chance to use his ability as a true freshman, playing in every game for the Irish and earning the starting nod for 10. His 63 tackles that season included 5.5 for loss, figures he easily bested as a 13-game starter his sophomore year (133 tackles, 9.5 for loss; his 21 stops against Stanford tied for the most in the FBS in 2010). Te’o found his name on many All-American lists (including Walter Camp and AP second teams) and was a finalist for the Butkus Award and Lott Trophy after accumulating 128 tackles, 13.5 for loss and five sacks.


In 2012, Te'o took home even more hardware after registering 113 tackles on 13 starts, 5.5 went for a loss including 1.5 sacks. He added some production in coverage, hauling in seven interceptions and four pass breakups. The long list of achievements Te'o won ranges from the Nagurski Award, the Lombardi Trophy, the Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Trophy and named the Walter Camp National Player of the Year. Most of all, Te'o dealt with a multitude of off-field events, including the death of his grandmother and the girlfriend hoax scandal.

Analysis
Strengths
Aggressive middle linebacker with a thick overall build. Vocal leader on the off the field, communicates the call and moves teammates into place when necessary. Downhill player who recognizes plays and closes quickly. Provides pop as a tackler, capable of thumping the ballcarrier and wrapping up to secure the stop. Aware run-stopper between the tackles, finds the ball and can mirror backs to prevent cutbacks. Stops backs’ momentum on first contact and drive them backwards. Takes on linemen and fullbacks, can bounce or use his hands to rip off and make a stop. Hustles to recover from cut blocks, work through double teams at the second level. Shows enough movement skills to follow stretch plays to either sideline and cover running backs in the flat. Drops to the first-down marker, but is able to close on receivers and backs over the middle to prevent yards after the catch. Attacks gaps as a delayed blitzer, will try to work past the shoulder of linemen picking him up. High character player who performs community service and became an Eagle Scout in 2008.

Weaknesses
Only average height for the position. Linemen and bigger tight ends have a size and length advantage, can ride him out of plays. Backpedal is high and stiff on his drops. Must prove he has the short-area quickness and long speed to stay with tight ends and receivers in coverage. Takes false steps on play action and misdirection; has only adequate recovery speed. Blunt instrument as a tackler, slips off some tackles when trying to make a big hit. Comes into ballcarriers with his head down at times, allowing them to elude him.

NFL Comparison
DeMeco Ryans

Bottom Line
Te’o has become the All-American middle linebacker everyone expected coming out of high school, receiving high marks for his character and leadership ability. After some suggested he could be one of the top picks in April's draft, Te'o took a step back against a very good Alabama offensive line during the BCS National Championship. As a hammer between the tackles, the Irish star will be a great inside backer for any 4-3 team, but some may question his ability to reach edge plays or get over blocks in time.

[Fleet]

Really excited about this pick. Never saw him as an incredible athlete. But a smart player with leadership skills. I expect him to be in the running for DPOY.

[Bolt-O]

[Bolt-O]

Manti Te'o will wear #50

---

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/22395061/manti-teo-reaped-the-benefits-of-media-absence-has-impressed-bolts%22

Man does time fly when you're not hearing someone talk. It's already June and already theChargers minicamp. That means it's already time for Bolts rookie linebacker Manti Te'o to talk with the media after being put on lockdown following rookie minicamp.

And Te'o was -- obviously -- asked how the hiatus from hype went. He believes he's "reaped the benefits" of being free from the media for a few months.

"Coach and the organization had a plan for me," Te'o said. "That plan was to prepare me the best way for the season. We're out here for football. I think that's the bottom line. The plan was for me to focus on football, focus on getting my head in the playbook and just trying to make that transition as quickly as possible.

"I definitely have reaped the benefits of that and am thankful that I've had the time to just focus on the plays and focus on what goes on on the field. That has definitely helped me improve each day."

Te'o spoke with the media for about 17 minutes and was nothing short of thrilled about the Chargers, calling San Diego "a perfect place for me."

“This is the perfect place for me," he said. “It truly is. It's because we have an organization here that really, truly believes in people. And (there) are good people. It starts at the top and it's reciprocated all the way down to the bottom. We have great people on this team that lead this team, and have great players.

"So for me to be a part of this, I couldn't be in a more perfect situation and a more perfect place."

Everything appears to be going well off the field for Te'o. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said that Te'o hasn't faced any major hazing thus far and that he's just "one of the guys."

"He hasn't been treated differently than any of the other guys, he hasn't acted any differently than any of the other guys," Rivers said. "He's acted himself. He's lived up to everything thus far that I think is expected of him, both on the field and off."

Rivers added on the NFL Network that Te'o's "looked good," "has natural instincts" and said it's "some of the things he does you can't coach."

The media's praising Te'o too. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune puts Te'o in a class with Shawne Merriman and Kendall Reyes in terms of being "immediately NFL-ready" coming out of college. That's high praise. Bill Williamson of ESPN is already throwing out the phrase "steal" when it comes to Te'o and says the Chargers are "thrilled" with his progress on the field so far.

It's pretty crazy, when you think about it, that Te'o would've progressed this far on and off the field. Not that it could never happen, it's just that the Chargers plan to keep Te'o under wraps -- one I disagree with from a media perspective -- is looking pretty smart right now.

---

There.... all caught up with the news!

[6025]

[Bolt-O]

Te'o with the full game uni

[Coachmarkos]

All Reports from Mini Camp are that Teo is looking good.

Now, what do they do with Jonas Mouton?

[QSmokey]

All Reports from Mini Camp are that Teo is looking good.

Now, what do they do with Jonas Mouton?

Same thing they should do with Meachump, Royal, English, and McClain.

[MakoShark]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-re...7805--nfl.html

INSIDE SLANT

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers says Manti Te'o is just one of the guys. To the media, though, Te'o is clearly more than just one of the guys.

With a large contingent of writers, broadcasters and photographers gathered and leaning on his every word, Te'o spoke during a press conference as the club kicked off its three-day minicamp at Chargers Park on Tuesday.

"We're all out here for the same reason. We're out here to play ball," Te'o said. "I'm lucky and very excited that I've had the opportunity, as with everybody else on the team, to put ourselves in the position to help our team win."

The Chargers are banking on Te'o to immediately contribute to that goal after trading up and taking the much talked-about former Notre Dame linebacker with the 38th pick overall in the draft in April.

Te'o is confident that he'll immediately contribute when the Chargers kick off the regular season on Sept. 9 against the Houston Texans.

Te'o said his biggest challenge so far has been keeping up with tight end Antonio Gates on the field.

"It's very difficult," Te'o said. "With Antonio Gates, not only does he run crisp routes, but he changes it up on you. He changes his get-offs and changes how he comes out of breaks. For a defender, you always have to play him honest and always have to keep your feet moving. Always have to win with leverage. As each day goes by, I'm getting better at it.

"Coach (Mike McCoy) and the organization had a plan for me and I think that plan is just to prepare me the best way for the season. We're all here for football. I think that's the bottom line. The plan was for me to focus on football and focus on getting my head in the playbook. Just trying to make that transition as quickly as possible. I'm thankful that I've had the time to focus on the plays and focus on what goes on on the field. That's helped me each day."

Te'o said he no longer is distracted by the controversy involving a hoax and a dead girlfriend that dogged him after Notre Dame lost the national championship to Alabama in January. He called San Diego the "perfect place" to move past the distraction and added that his new teammates have also helped make the transition smoother.

"We have a saying in the defensive room -- 'Keep the main thing the main thing.'" He said. "I'm here to play football. I'm here to be the best Charger I can be. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that."

Rivers said Te'o has handled the swirl of attention well. The Chargers' quarterback doesn't understand what all the fuss is about, blaming the media for continuing to flame the controversy.

"I thought he's had a good presence since he's been here," Rivers said. "I feel like he's got great instincts. He has a knack. There's certain things that I see from going against him and watching the tape that you can't coach. It's just instincts. He has that ability that's hard to coach.

"He's one of the guys. He hasn't been treated any differently than any of the other guys. He hasn't acted any differently than any of the other guys. He's lived up to everything thus far that I think was expected of him, both on the field and off.

"I'm still wondering what the story is, to be honest with you. I don't know what you guys keep asking about. I don't know where the distractions come from. I don't see it. The story is so old and tired I would figure y'all would have moved on to something else by now."

I posted this before and it still applies. I'm not sure how to take this. So much could be read into it. Is Gates still his dominant self when healthy? Gates was taking Eric Berry to school last year in one of games against the Chiefs. He's supposed to young upcoming stud at safety. Is Te'o as slow as some have suspected? Is Te'o just not getting it?

[Coachmarkos]

It's minicamp in June, and Antonio Gates is a hall of famer, and Teo is a rookie.

[Mister Hoarse]

Should there be a whole Teo forum?

Call it The Full Manti.

[Steve]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-re...7805--nfl.html



I posted this before and it still applies. I'm not sure how to take this. So much could be read into it. Is Gates still his dominant self when healthy? Gates was taking Eric Berry to school last year in one of games against the Chiefs. He's supposed to young upcoming stud at safety. Is Te'o as slow as some have suspected? Is Te'o just not getting it?

I don't think anything Teo is talking about has anything to do with speed. Gates was and will be one of the great route runners among TE in the history of the NFL. Teo has to learn the techniques and gain experience on how to defend the routes. As far as Gates being the guy to cover, you couldn't ask for a better guy to learn to cover against. Gates knows all the tricks, and gets open by running great routes. So, Teo gets to practice defending those tricks now. Most LB are the same speed, if not slower then Teo, so I have never been that sure what all the fuss about his speed has been. LB just have to use leverage, giving themselves a cushion, when they are isolated against fast players. But remember, RB and TE are the guys who defenses cover every play with LB, so some LB can do it, why not Teo.

To me, the issue is with him being in coverage was about him being able to flip his hips and turn and run with guys, and/or the angles he takes. Watching him in college, there were a lot of times he got hurt in man coverage. But the easy fix to that is to not play a ton of man coverage, or at least not leave him covering one on one. We like to use our LB to do some double teams, giving the LB leverage against the receivers, and that will help a lot. But the only times an offense can get your ILB isolated against a fast guy in space, you let them do it too you. We can prevent that, just by not being stupid in our calls.

Teo was pretty damn good in zone D. You probably don't want him as a MLB in the tampa cover 2, where he has to get really, really deep in his drop, but if you just want him to set quickly underneath and break on the ball, he was really good doing that, and he had 7 int last year to prove it. He also deflected a bunch of passes, and broke up a bunch more. And if we can keep Butler locked up in the more challenging coverage assignments, then I don't see much of his coverage skills being an issue in zone. In fact, I think he will be an advantage, since he comes down with a lot of int off deflections and quick passes, and he doesn't drop many.

You just don't want Teo walked out over the slot WR and left in single coverage on blitzes, but that is just about as true with Teo as with any other ILB in football. And if we are forced to do some of that, let Butler take the tougher assignment, since he has better long speed.