Teo is improving?

[SDFan]

He's kinda being viewed in the same light as Ryan Mathews. We traded up for him and gave up a pick, so expectations are high with him. If he had been drafted straight up in the 2nd people might not be so harse on him.

[QSmokey]

Manti is just not physical enough to play effectively at this level, IMO. Experience, intelligence, being savvy...that's all great, and certainly rounds out a player's resume. But Te'o, as I've said from Day One, looks very small and un-intimidating for a LB (inside or outside), and I don't really believe that his missing most of TC - at this point in the season - is as big a deal as some on here are trying to make it out to be.

In retrospect, he probably would have been available had we not traded up; if he was, there would have been other choices (Bostic?). Which doesn't mean that the lost 4th-round pick would have made us a SB contender. But we needed - NEED! - more than just street FAs filling up our roster. And who knows? Maybe we would have gotten lucky and drafted a gem in the 4th round.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

He's kinda being viewed in the same light as Ryan Mathews. We traded up for him and gave up a pick, so expectations are high with him. If he had been drafted straight up in the 2nd people might not be so harse on him.

The most vocal would be, because he was drafted by Telesco and plays for McCoy.

[MakoShark]

then people are viewing the move in the wrong light- not as TT and the Chargers scouts and most of America saw it. Look at the kid's accomplishments below. He wasn't some no-name chump we gave away our draft for. IIRC we had an extra (comp?) pick we used to move up 7 spots to grab a highly touted player in position of need. If you are TT, are you NOT going to take this kid when he slipped out of 1st round and are looking at starting injury-prone Donald Butler and a mix of Jonas Mouton, Bront Bird and Andrew Gachkar? Not likely.

We gave up our 4th, not a comp pick. Comp picks cannot be traded. We swapped 2nds with Arizona and gave them our 4th. Does it matter how many awards he won in college? Is there one single report that someone ahead of us was going to take him? I think we could have just stood pat and waited to see how it played out. I think he would have fallen to us, thus saving our 4th round pick. If that would have happened the kid wouldn't be under such a microscope. Just like with Mathews the kid has to live up to what was given up for him. I'm not saying its fair, just thats the way things are and thats how he's perceived.

[Grinners]

and then the world compared him to Jr Seau.............................................. ......

[sandiego17]

I think he would have fallen to us, thus saving our 4th round pick. If that would have happened the kid wouldn't be under such a microscope. Just like with Mathews the kid has to live up to what was given up for him. I'm not saying its fair, just thats the way things are and thats how he's perceived.

I don't think most fans care very much that the team traded a fourth to swap picks. Most fans aren't following the team in this much detail, we are the exception, not the rule. Te'o was going to be under a microscope regardless of who or where he went due to his semi-celebrity status. He interviewed with Katie Curic, it went beyond football. I do see some improvement and disagree with Q that missing preseason isn't a big deal. Any rookie missing time is huge, the NFL is tough. Lets see what a full offseason does. Hopefully he doesn't regress as horribly as the last second rounder has.

[Geezbolt]

I do see some improvement and disagree with Q that missing preseason isn't a big deal. Any rookie missing time is huge, the NFL is tough.

I Concur. My retired coaching friend has reiterated that to me on numerous occasions. It is a big deal.

This discussion of Te'o reminds me some of when Billy Ray Smith was drafted. IIRC, the Chargers took him with the 5th overall pick. Elway was the top prize of the draft that year and some writers touted Smith as the Elway of the defensive players. Smith was a solid starter for quite a few years but some outside of San Diego suggested he was a bust because in their minds he did not live up to his hype. If Te'o turns out to be a solid, if unspectacular starter for a few years, in my mind he was a good pick.

[TTK]

Why are so many people here saying he's not physical enough? I don't understand the criticism. He looks slow because he's not diagnosing plays fast enough or making the wrong reads IMO.

[Wheels]

I think there's some sour grapes about him being picked by us. So he better fucking impress me and quick, is the basic attitude.

Physicality and playing fast are manifestations of being a confident player who's reacting instead of thinking and second guessing. Which is why any verdict rendered this early is way too early. There are plenty of very good inside backers who are not overly fast players, but their instincts save them steps and get them to the action quicker than less football intelligent athletic specimens.

[TTK]

I think there's some sour grapes about him being picked by us. So he better fucking impress me and quick, is the basic attitude.

Physicality and playing fast are manifestations of being a confident player who's reacting instead of thinking and second guessing. Which is why any verdict rendered this early is way too early. There are plenty of very good inside backers who are not overly fast players, but their instincts save them steps and get them to the action quicker than less football intelligent athletic specimens.

In addition, many will tell you that the game is mostly mental because virtually everyone at the NFL level is a freak athlete. Not everyone has the determination, instincts and football intelligence to become great.

[QSmokey]

Why are so many people here saying he's not physical enough? I don't understand the criticism. He looks slow because he's not diagnosing plays fast enough or making the wrong reads IMO.

Because he isn't! If he's 240 lbs, then I'm 360 lbs. It's like Doug Flutie being listed as 5'10". Just ain't so. I said this way back in TC: He LOOKS like a big SS to me; certainly not a LB. The guy I mentioned above, Bostic, looks like a LB. Big, thick, and tough.

"Instinct" can only take you so far. You gotta have the physical ability, too.

[SDFan]

We gave up our 4th, not a comp pick. Comp picks cannot be traded. We swapped 2nds with Arizona and gave them our 4th. Does it matter how many awards he won in college? Is there one single report that someone ahead of us was going to take him? I think we could have just stood pat and waited to see how it played out. I think he would have fallen to us, thus saving our 4th round pick. If that would have happened the kid wouldn't be under such a microscope. Just like with Mathews the kid has to live up to what was given up for him. I'm not saying its fair, just thats the way things are and thats how he's perceived.

Yep, you're right. My memory was off thinking we had an extra 4th last year (yeah I know you can't trade the comp pick- I thought we had 2 fourth rounders and gave them ours- still leaving us a 4th)- I don't follow this stuff as close as I used to. Regardless, swapping 2nds + adding the 4th isn't a huge deal when you get a guy that previously had 1st round grades at a position of need. Disagree this minor swap puts higher expectations on him- it's not like giving up next year's 1st to move up a few spots in the 1st round for a total bust type impact. The player has no say on who drafts him where and at what cost.

Chargers



Traded 2013 second round pick (#45-Kevin Minter), 2013 fourth round pick (#110-Ryan Nassib) to Cardinals for 2013 second round pick (#38-Manti Te'o) on 2013-04-26