A very public about-face

[#34fan]

I'd been making fun of poor Man'ti Teo for weeks before his public "catfish" scandal. I've called him things like Man'-purse, Man'-boobs, -The Lyin' Hawaiian... All said with good-natured fun in mind.

 

However, I have publicly questioned his speed, drive, and tackling ability as a MLB... I now believe that this was extremely pre-mature on my part... Admittedly, I was considering just a tiny part of the "big picture" with a kid like Mant'i Teo.

 

No, Mant'i isn't as fast as I'd prefer, nor do I see the relentlessness in pursuit of a Luke Kuechly, but he does some other important things very well..

 

For example, the kid reads a QB as good as any LB out there, as seen at 2:34, 3:50, and 3:17 of this video. -He's very instinctive in his pursuit. His tackling may not fly at the pro level, but hey, -he isn't a pro. That can be taught as long as he's willing to learn.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCPuKJyoSvE

 

Then there's the Michigan game... (youtube.com/watch?v=wa7E9X-1nN0) At 1:40, and 2:26 you can see that the kid has hands, and very good ball skills. He covers space, and closes gaps well... and again, his instinctiveness compensates fo him not being very fleet-of-foot.

 

I wasn't allowed to post media of the Stanford game either (youtube.com/watch?v=tEmgY4f9g8E) but if you go there, you'll see examples of great penetration and recognition. I watched this game live, and saw Mant'i take a few plays off, but overall, I thought he did well against a very good Stanford rushing attack.

 

Then there's this:

 

Bills new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was asked in a 1-on-1 interview with Buffalobills.com if he’s married to the 3-4 base defense coming to Buffalo. Here was his response.

“I’m not. Again it’s a situation where I think people try to compartmentalize too much and just broad stroke it 3-4, 4-3, what are you? And my answer to that question is yes to all of the above,” Pettine told Buffalobills.com. ”We are a multiple front, attacking, pressure-style defense. We’re going to play man coverage, we’re going to play zone coverage. What we’re going to do defensively is take advantage of what our players do well."

 

I've come to realize that the question isn't so much what Mant'i Teo is now, but rather what a DC like Pettine can turn this kid into, which given everything I know about both, could be a FEARSOME run-stopper, pass-rusher, and multi-use tackling drone.

 

Then I get to thinking what could happen if we take a good "later-round" 4-3 OLB prospect like Devonte Holloman: youtube.com/watch?v=Teqxo_K2kOc[/media] in addition to Te'o...

 

Add to that an outstanding FS prospect like Florida's Matt Elam: youtube.com/watch?v=rREjDTpTedE

 

Mmm.... I can smell the sacks already!

 

Do I have character concerns about Mant'i? -You betcha. As well as questions regarding his overall mental fitness, and leadership skills, but the bottom line is that nobody's perfect... certainly not in the NFL... If Mant'i can learn from his mistakes, and re-gain control of his personal life, this could end up being really good for Bills nation. Much better, IMHO, than wasting a high-pick on a local QB who makes very few next-level throws, and who put together just two decent seasons in a four year collegiate career!

[RyanC883]

No to Te'O. He gets blown off tackles and blocked downfield against NFL size lineman (see Alabama game).

[B-Man]

No to Te'O. He gets blown off tackles and blocked downfield against NFL size lineman (see Alabama game).

.

 

Thank God, you are not a Bills scout.

 

Te"O is an All-American, a starter for three years and has improved each year.

 

but stick with the one game analysis.

 

 

and for that matter, he played well against NFL size linemen (see Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan)

Edited January 21, 2013 by B-Man

[mrags]

No to Te'O. He gets blown off tackles and blocked downfield against NFL size lineman (see Alabama game).

this.

 

And as far as reading the QB is concerned. I Didnt watch the video but I'm thinking a young college QB that is far from pro level is hard to read where he's going with the ball. (As sarcastic as I can say it)

 

I watched him in the national championship game which was as close to a pro football team as he's gonna face until he gets there and he looked horrible. He was run over, around and through. He was more out of place than Chris Kelsey on more than half of his plays. He was slower to react and get into the play than Pozlusny and he was was happy to jump into piles after the play was over and boast about it like Aaron Maybin.

 

Maybe I'm a little exagerrative here but I saw it enough to not want this guy anywhere near the Buffalo Bills unless he comes here to play against us and get jukes out of his shoes by CJ on every other play.

[mrags]

 

 

Thank God, you are not a Bills scout.

 

Te"O is an All-American, a starter for three years and has improved each year.

 

but stick with the one game analysis.

 

 

and for that matter, he played well against NFL size linemen (see Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan)

so you fell for the hype of Manti Teo along with the rest of the nation as they felt horrible for a Hawaiian player with a cool tattoo and a dead girlfriend. Good to know.

[#34fan]

No to Te'O. He gets blown off tackles and blocked downfield against NFL size lineman (see Alabama game).

 

I thought the very same thing, and I can totally understand why you'd say that. I watched Te'o in that game very closely, and after a while, it was clear that he wanted NO PART of those OT's, and/or punishing RB's... -I think Mant'i was satisfied with his body of work, and at that point made a BUSINESS decision to stay out of harms way. -It was a bit cowardly perhaps, but I can't say I blame him

[B-Man]

so you fell for the hype of Manti Teo along with the rest of the nation as they felt horrible for a Hawaiian player with a cool tattoo and a dead girlfriend. Good to know.

 

You don't seem to "know" much......

 

Its nothing to do with hype.

 

I watched every ND game the past 4 years (some in person) and I know that he is a great player.

 

He is ranked in the top 15 picks of EVERY draft expert.

 

Too bad that all those scouts don't know as much as you..............................

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Magox]

so you fell for the hype of Manti Teo along with the rest of the nation as they felt horrible for a Hawaiian player with a cool tattoo and a dead girlfriend. Good to know.

 

Shallow much?

[OldTimer1960]

I thought the very same thing, and I can totally understand why you'd say that. I watched Te'o in that game very closely, and after a while, it was clear that he wanted NO PART of those OT's, and/or punishing RB's... -I think Mant'i was satisfied with his body of work, and at that point made a BUSINESS decision to stay out of harms way. -It was a bit cowardly perhaps, but I can't say I blame him

 

If your speculation is true (ie, he made a "business" decision to stay out of harms way, then that is MAJOR red flag. Deon Sanders talks about DBs making "business" decisions to not take on big blockers or RBs. He is partly joking and partly serious. For sure, a great CB is paid more to be a good cover man than to be a good tackler. That is NOT true of a LB. If a college LB is avoiding contact to preserve himself, he has no place in the NFL.

 

That being said, I am not saying that you are necessarily right with your assessment of T'eo. It is possible (again not saying it IS) that he was just very distraught and distracted due to the impending explosion of this story to play well. That isn't great, either and personally I'd not take a chance on him, but it is possible that he will be a very good pro.

[#34fan]

IMWO, This draft is to defensive backfield/secondary players, what last year's draft was for QB's... Maybe even better. Much like the latter, the former presents a unique opportunity for teams WILLING TO PULL THE TRIGGER.

 

I was 100% ant'i -Mant'i until I realized what this Defense could do with a disruptive playmaker in the middle of the field.

[1billsfan]

If we're going defense at #8, I want the Bills to draft this freak...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UwVrBRruEk

[mrags]

 

 

You don't seem to "know" much......

 

Its nothing to do with hype.

 

I watched every ND game the past 4 years (some in person) and I know that he is a great player.

 

He is ranked in the top 15 picks of EVERY draft expert.

 

Too bad that all those scouts don't know as much as you..............................

 

 

 

 

 

.

yup. All the same scouts that thought Maybin, Sanchez, Leaf, Russel, Young, Gabbert, Curry, and McClain were also top draft picks. Say what you want about how many of them were over rated at the time, or some scouts Didnt think they were as good as advertised. In the end, all of these players were expected to be first round draft picks and all of them either sucked or flamed out because of mental issues. It's not an exact science.

 

I respect your opinion but I don't agree with it at all. Lets leave it at that. Only a few years will tell about this kid and how good he really is. We will all know soon enough. I'm guessing he's more along the lines of Aaron Curry than even Poz. That's how bad I think he's going to be. We will see.

[#34fan]

 

 

If your speculation is true (ie, he made a "business" decision to stay out of harms way, then that is MAJOR red flag. Deon Sanders talks about DBs making "business" decisions to not take on big blockers or RBs. He is partly joking and partly serious. For sure, a great CB is paid more to be a good cover man than to be a good tackler. That is NOT true of a LB. If a college LB is avoiding contact to preserve himself, he has no place in the NFL.

 

That being said, I am not saying that you are necessarily right with your assessment of T'eo. It is possible (again not saying it IS) that he was just very distraught and distracted due to the impending explosion of this story to play well. That isn't great, either and personally I'd not take a chance on him, but it is possible that he will be a very good pro.

 

I dunno... -You're a couple of months away from everything you've ever wanted, and you're gonna step in front of who? -Eddie Lacy?

 

And maybe lock horns with Barrett Jones? -First team SEC at three different offensive positions?

Damn Kid gave his QB a love-tap, and he flew ten frickin' yards!

 

Sorry, but regardless of how good I was, I might opt-out of any direct confrontation with those two.

 

I may be wrong, but it sure seemed like that's what he did.

Edited January 21, 2013 by #34fan

[Nanker]

For the love of God. Do we really need another thread about this over-hyped runt?

[mrags]

 

 

Shallow much?

why? Because I never watched him play until the championship game. Never knew of all the hype and then watched first hand and was absolutely sick to my stomach at the thought of the Bills drafting this kid.

 

I never heard a think about the dead girlfriend until it surfaced that it was a hoax so I was not tainted by the hype. And to me from the outside, that's exactly what it seems like. Heisman Hype.

[SouthernMan]

 

. His tackling may not fly at the pro level, but hey, -he isn't a pro. That can be taught as long as he's willing to learn.

 

 

 

Tackling ain't rocket science. What could they possibly teach in the pros that hasn't been drilled into him for the past 12 years?

[NewEra]

this.

 

And as far as reading the QB is concerned. I Didnt watch the video but I'm thinking a young college QB that is far from pro level is hard to read where he's going with the ball. (As sarcastic as I can say it)

 

I watched him in the national championship game which was as close to a pro football team as he's gonna face until he gets there and he looked horrible. He was run over, around and through. He was more out of place than Chris Kelsey on more than half of his plays. He was slower to react and get into the play than Pozlusny and he was was happy to jump into piles after the play was over and boast about it like Aaron Maybin.

 

Maybe I'm a little exagerrative here but I saw it enough to not want this guy anywhere near the Buffalo Bills unless he comes here to play against us and get jukes out of his shoes by CJ on every other play.

 

The best coach in college history (IMO) had over a month to gameplan for the ND defense and their best player. The gameplan worked. Sure, Te'o played a poor game, but the oppositions game plan had something to do with it. He was a stud before the Alabama game and he's a stud now. Is he worth the 8th pick? Idk, but I believe he's going to be a very solid pro and any team that drafts him will have a productive LB starting for as long as he suits up every Sunday.

 

 

Yes, you're exaggerating. As are most here who don't want him. To me, his only negative is this whole fake gf issue. I don't know what to make of it. I'm not going to pretend I do. The people here who don't want him, you're entitled to not wanting him, but if you're going to make assumptions, you should at least do some research (ie watching the video that was posted so you can actually make a real comment about him. As opposed to saying "And as far as reading the QB is concerned. I Didnt watch the video but I'm thinking a young college QB that is far from pro level is hard to read where he's going with the ball. (As sarcastic as I can say it)". That just sound ignorant IMO;

[Malazan]

What about the existing Manti-Te'o threads wasn't adequate for this post?

[NewEra]

If we're going defense at #8, I want the Bills to draft this freak...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UwVrBRruEk

 

Love that kid. I'd have no issue taking any of the pass rusher that might be available (j jones, Werner, mingo, Jordan). Would you be upset of we took any of the other guys, other than Jordan?

 

What about the existing Manti-Te'o threads wasn't adequate for this post?

 

People love to be the center of attention.

[#34fan]

why? Because I never watched him play until the championship game. Never knew of all the hype and then watched first hand and was absolutely sick to my stomach at the thought of the Bills drafting this kid.

 

I never heard a think about the dead girlfriend until it surfaced that it was a hoax so I was not tainted by the hype. And to me from the outside, that's exactly what it seems like. Heisman Hype.

 

I ragged on him pretty hard. But the fact is he does some special things. We took Tank Carder Last Draft, and IMHO Te'o penetrates, and reads better than Carder ever could. Right now, I'd say our current LB situation is pretty bad. -Teo could really help out, IF Pettine can get him trained right.