Manti T'eo

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Texas Vike
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Texas Vike »

Excellent article on Manti Te'o in the Strib today:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... page=2&c=y

Harrison Smith lobbies pretty hard for him. Nice to see. I also like Smith's comments regarding the question of fit (ND to Vikings seems like a natural progression) and Te'o's leadership.

I hope the Bears don't beat us to him. Even worse than that would be the Vikings trading up ahead of the Bears to take him. I want him, but no higher than 23.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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Texas Vike wrote:Excellent article on Manti Te'o in the Strib today:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... page=2&c=y

Harrison Smith lobbies pretty hard for him. Nice to see. I also like Smith's comments regarding the question of fit (ND to Vikings seems like a natural progression) and Te'o's leadership.

I hope the Bears don't beat us to him. Even worse than that would be the Vikings trading up ahead of the Bears to take him. I want him, but no higher than 23.
Nice article. Thanks for the link. You're right, interesting stuff by Smith.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by hibbingviking »

Demi wrote: Who wondered if he'd fit in our defense? Every scouting report out there made him sound like a great fit! Harrison had all the skills to excel in this defense, Te'o doesn't. And it's clear watching him play he's not going to be able to perform in coverages that he's going to be asked to in this defense. Sure he can do other things. But that likely means another MLB we'll be seeing as only a two down guy.
:thumbsup:
Teo isn't very fast or strong. he isn't a great pass rusher or very good in coverage. but he has a nose for the ball, high nfl IQ. he would be a good leader on defense imo.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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Texas Vike wrote:Excellent article on Manti Te'o in the Strib today:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... page=2&c=y

Harrison Smith lobbies pretty hard for him. Nice to see. I also like Smith's comments regarding the question of fit (ND to Vikings seems like a natural progression) and Te'o's leadership.

I hope the Bears don't beat us to him. Even worse than that would be the Vikings trading up ahead of the Bears to take him. I want him, but no higher than 23.
I don't think trading up to get him would be worse than losing out on him (or are you just worried about the price of such a move?). If he's the guy they want, it makes little difference to me if they take him at #18, #19 or #23 and IF he's the right guy to play MLB for the Vikes for the next 8-10 years, I think drafting him a little higher than #23 is immaterial.

Thanks for the link. Smith's comments go a long way toward further convincing me Te'o could be a great fit in Minnesota and I agree with his assessment. I doubt this whole"catfish" scandal will have any long term impact on Te'o's ability to be a leader. Players respect performance and if he performs in the NFL like he did at Notre Dame, he'll have no problem winning over teammates. The press and fans seem more likely to continue holding the whole "girlfriend" mess over his head for a long time than the players, who will probably just tease him and get over it.

I bet he'll hear plenty about it on the field from opponents.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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Mothman wrote: I don't think trading up to get him would be worse than losing out on him (or are you just worried about the price of such a move?). If he's the guy they want, it makes little difference to me if they take him at #18, #19 or #23 and IF he's the right guy to play MLB for the Vikes for the next 8-10 years, I think drafting him a little higher than #23 is immaterial.

Thanks for the link. Smith's comments go a long way toward further convincing me Te'o could be a great fit in Minnesota and I agree with his assessment. I doubt this whole"catfish" scandal will have any long term impact on Te'o's ability to be a leader. Players respect performance and if he performs in the NFL like he did at Notre Dame, he'll have no problem winning over teammates. The press and fans seem more likely to continue holding the whole "girlfriend" mess over his head for a long time than the players, who will probably just tease him and get over it.

I bet he'll hear plenty about it on the field from opponents.
I fully agree with the part of your quote that I underlined above. Smith mentions it too. Guys will rally around him once he starts making the kinds of plays we've seen him make for years at ND.

I don't like the idea of having to move ahead of the Bears to take him, but you're ultimately right that going up to 18 or 19 to snag him if they are totally sold on him would not be such a bad move. I think a lot of fans weren't convinced on draft night that Harrison Smith was worth jumping back up into the 1st round last year. That seems like a silly worry at this point. It didn't cost us too terribly much and he has been a great fit for our team.

If they only move up 4 or 5 spots it shouldn't cost them too much and they can be sure to get the guy they want (if Te'o is there guy, like I suspect he is).
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by CaptainKirov »

hibbingviking wrote: :thumbsup:
Teo isn't very fast or strong. he isn't a great pass rusher or very good in coverage. but he has a nose for the ball, high nfl IQ. he would be a good leader on defense imo.
How often do we ask our MLBs to rush the passer? Im asking this as a serious question because i do not know.. Because in my mind on passing downs the MLB is covering like 95% of the time and then going to stuff the run as always.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by losperros »

Texas Vike wrote:Excellent article on Manti Te'o in the Strib today:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... page=2&c=y

Harrison Smith lobbies pretty hard for him. Nice to see. I also like Smith's comments regarding the question of fit (ND to Vikings seems like a natural progression) and Te'o's leadership.

I hope the Bears don't beat us to him. Even worse than that would be the Vikings trading up ahead of the Bears to take him. I want him, but no higher than 23.
Great article. Harrison Smith seems like a straight shooter and he has plenty of respect for Te'o.

I really shouldn't make too many comments about Te'o because I've only seen him play once and that was in the BCS game. Personally, I thought Bama did a number on the entire Notre Dame D, so I don't hold that game against him.

Anyway, not being familiar with Te'o but reading articles and hearing firsthand from people that I respect who think the guy is going to be a solid pro MLB leads me to believe he would be a good pick. But I have no idea if it would be a reach or not to take him earlier than #23.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Rus »

I don't really have a problem with the Vikings drafting Te'o, but I still personally think Arthur Brown is a better value/fit at 23 or 25. I think Te'o has a lot of great tools, but sometimes those are the skills that don't translate to the pros if they aren't backed up with better speed or size. He'll probably be pretty good, but I just feel like Arthur Brown will be a better immediate fit in a Tampa-2.

I also kind of think they're going to take linebacker at 25 and a wide receiver at 23. If the Vikings took Te'o at 23, I get the feeling the Colts would definitely jump on the best receiver available because they know what the Vikings would be picking then. (Even if I kind of think they're going to take a DT and a LB with those first rounders and a wide receiver in the second and/or third rounds.)
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Texas Vike »

At least one team appears to have taken Te'o off its board:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... -nfl-draft
"We've kind of taken him off the board," one scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday. "He doesn't have enough ability to put up with all that. Why fool with it? Try-hard, smart (Wonderlic of 23) guy. This was the first year he's really gotten himself in shape. Some of his teammates think he's kind of a phony."
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Demi »

Texas Vike wrote:At least one team appears to have taken Te'o off its board:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... -nfl-draft
I've read a few players he had some "help" getting in shape too. If you know what I inject in my butt cheek.

I mean, mean.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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Demi wrote: I've read a few players he had some "help" getting in shape too. If you know what I inject in my butt cheek.

I mean, mean.
Don't think Te'o's that kind of dude. But you never know. Players do crazy (see: dumb) things.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Demi »

dead_poet wrote: I've read a few players he had some "help" getting in shape too. If you know what I inject in my butt cheek.

I mean, mean.

Don't think Te'o's that kind of dude. But you never know. Players do crazy (see: dumb) things.
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... ef4b151d4b
"Here's the deal," Dukes said, while comparative pictures of Te'o at the combine and his pro day were shown on the screen. "Since nobody else will say this, I'm just gonna show you this. I don't know who the guy was at the combine -- the pudgy body/soft body guy who couldn't run. All of a sudden, I see this yoked-up behemoth of a guy. Nobody's gonna say anything, and I'm not accusing anybody, but we just had a huge HGH conversation ... I'm not saying he's on anything. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. I think somebody saw what I saw, and that didn't look right. That just didn't look right to me. I just want to be on record as saying -- it's a little off."
Also someone brought up acne covered arms during his college days. But that's all I could really find.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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NFL Films guru Greg Cosell on Te'o (I think this is a fair evaluation):
Manti Te’o will be a much-mentioned name on Draft weekend for many reasons. What did you see of him on tape? What other linebackers will his career ultimately resemble?

I think Manti Te’o will be a solid NFL player and we’ll stop there. I think he’s ultimately an inside stacked linebacker who will play in base-personnel packages, not in the sub-packages (nickel or dime). I think he’s best in a confined area.

If you look back over recent years, there have been a number of linebackers that have been better prospects coming out of college than Manti Te’o. That’s the only way you can do it because once guys get to the NFL, many things happen so it’s hard at that point to compare. Looking back, you’ve got James Laurinaitis (Ohio State) who’s been with the Rams for four years; Paul Posluszny (Penn State), a second round pick; Jon Beason (U Miami)…all better prospects coming out than Manti Te’o. This says nothing of Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis—Manti Te’o is not even in their class. I think he’ll end up having a very nice NFL career and he’ll be a solid, good player. However, I do not think he’ll ever be spoken about as an impact defender.
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2013/04/23/greg ... qa-part-2/
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Re: Manti T'eo

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I liked this response from that Cosell Q&A:
What is your take on the recent conversation regarding the devaluation of the running back position in the draft?

Now you’re getting into one of my favorite subjects: value leading up to the draft. Everybody talks about it. However, it’s really an abstract concept because we’ve come to accept that there are certain positions that are now not viewed as premium positions. Therefore, you don’t have to draft that position until later in the draft.

It’s a great conversation, even an academic and intellectual discussion. Coaches never think that way because they simply want players that can play. For example, let’s talk running backs: this year there’re Eddie Lacy (Alabama) and Montee Ball (Wisconsin). I think Eddie Lacy is probably the best back in this draft as far as being a foundation, or feature, back. However, you’ll hear people saying, “Why draft Lacy in the 1st round when you can draft Jonathan Franklin (UCLA), in the 3rd or 4th round?” That’s valid except when it’s week six and a coach is in a game; they’re up by two points with six minutes to go and they need to run the ball—now you need a back who can run a ball. Consequently, that philosophical debate about value doesn’t mean anything to coaches. If they don’t have a back that can run the ball and they lose a game because of this, that’s a problem. Value is a great discussion now: it’s a lot of fun, it’s all over Twitter, and people talk about it all the time—for coaches, it has absolutely no meaning whatsoever.
That's a great point.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Texas Vike »

dead_poet wrote:NFL Films guru Greg Cosell on Te'o (I think this is a fair evaluation):
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2013/04/23/greg ... qa-part-2/
I really don't know what to think about Te'o as a pro, but I feel pretty sure that the Vikes' brass is high on him.

I'd almost rather trade out of 25 for 2 2nd round picks (in addition to 52) and grab Arthur Brown and a WR (Hopkins, Allen, Woods, Hunter--in that order).

The value chart says 25 is worth a high 2nd and a high 3rd, but I get the feeling that some QB hungry may up the ante.
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