Does Te'o get his job back?

[Sec-E4]

Just let it go Rambo......errr, I mean Yuba

[Boltjolt]

No, I am not wrong. Funny, though, that some of you guys can't even figure out that you are the ones getting killed.

Conner is a better run defender than Te'o. Heck, based upon draft reviews, it wouldn't surprise me if Reddick is a better run defending ILB than Te'o as well. Te'o is not all that great against the run.

Sure.....i suggest you go read Leafs draft reviews. He surely was better than Peyton
Reddick was on the street.

And the 3-4 is designed to have LBs make plays. Unless the defense is not good, ILBs should lead the team in tackles. How is Te'o doing league wide in tackles? Oh, he's tied for 64th--legendary. Any other thoughts as to why anyone should be impressed with Te'o?

And where's your evidence that Te'o played while still slowed by a bad foot? That was a simple sprain of the left foot, wasn't it? Hilarious. Te'o's simple sprain is compromising and adversely affects his play, but Jenkins' severe and surgery requiring pectoral injury has not compromised him at all. Not much consistency on this board these days unless it comes to lack of thought when setting forth a position by those responding to me.

[Br.]Heck, your post doesn't even seem to comprehend that I am not even asserting that Conner is better than Te'o when you mention that Te'o is starting over Conner. What I have said is that Conner is better against the run.[/B] That debate is pretty much over as far as I am concerned. It's a no-brainer that Conner is better versus the run.
ve
The issue is versus the pass. That's where Te'o must have an advantage to offset. That's why the run stuffing thumper is playing behind Te'o.

o
Yes, you keep repeating it over and over. He still is Manti's backup. Who cares what you keep repeating about his run defense, he is the backup to a guy the coaches feel is better overall, regardless of your continuous rambling about his run defense....that he didnt display much of today.
Reddick was on the street ....surely he is better than Te'o as well :facepalm1:

And WTH are you talking about where is my evidense that Te'o played wll on a spained foot? I was talking about last season when he was playing on a broken foot and he was playing better down the stretch. He was playing well this year too till he sprained his foot.

As for Jenkins.......who gives a shit about him. He has done nothing so far, injured or not and last year, he was not. Keenan Allen has been 1000 times better than what Jenkins will do perhaps his whole career....which hasnt been even as good as Te'o,....... who you keep ripping.

[Yubaking]

So in your unbiased and objective review of the last two weeks, Conner impressed you more vs the run today than Te'o did vs. buffalo last week? How, what play did he make that was even noticeable (besides the penalty)?

Your comment about lib leading the team in tackles. Didn't Te'o lead the team in tackles after three weeks. I didn't look it up, so not 100%, but I thought he did. Although tackle numbers don't tell the whole story, Butler should anyway, not Te'o.

I guess you would consider the penalty play as a bad effort by Conner. It was probably the best play made by an ILB all game long. The penalty call was horseshit pure and simple. Read the definition of taunting and the examples of what is and is not allowed. Conner did nothing illegal. Rather, he made a great play. I thought it was better than any play made by Te'o this year. He made a couple of other tackles as well and did so in a way that was better than I thought Te'o would have based upon what Te'o has done this year in regular season games. He got credited for an assist on a solo tackle on one play, though. The guy is clearly a more stout and thumping presence than Te'o. I do not think anyone can reasonably deny that. The way I would say it is that when he makes a play, it usually involves a hard, fairly crushing hit on which the offensive player is going nowhere but down instead of the more finesse, get dragged a yard or two extra hits/tackles made by Te'o.

Te'o is supposed to be leading the team in tackles and he was tied with Weddle--for 64th in the league, not exactly getting inducted into the Hall of Fame next week. So I thought it was a joke that another poster was citing tackle totals.

Butler has been playing poorly--everyone knows that, even Butler.

The problem was that the team didn't play Conner enough for us to see how good/bad he is against the pass. Logically, this, plus his reputation of struggling versus the pass, tells me that the team does not trust him in these situations.

This was too bad because Gachkar really did not impress today at all. Honestly, I couldn't remember him looking worse as a Charger. He seems to have lost some quickness (was very sluggish today), so he is still kind of soft against the run, but now also not very good against the pass, much worse than he was last year. I thought the secondary really helped on a lot of the short wide passing plays. Wright played very well until he got hurt (nice open field tackles). Flowers also played well. Addae played well at times. Gilchrist pitched in on a few plays.

[blahblahblah]

Jesus...

[sandiego17]

...

I didn't say it was a bad play, it's the only one he made that was noticed. Which others stood out? It was stupid, but not a bad play. You have no idea what he said on the field or what the ref called, you're only crying about the penalty because it involved Conner. If te'o had done the same, you would skewer him. Teo played much, much better vs. the bills than Conner did today. Spin away. He's fiurth string for a reason. Teo will start when healthy, he's better.

Are you really going to go on tackle numbers now? He led the team. I hope no one on the bolts cracks the top 100 in tackles... Want to know why? Maybe you could figure it out fantasy stat boy. BKR calls you bill james as a joke. Makes sense.

[Yubaking]

o
Yes, you keep repeating it over and over. He still is Manti's backup. Who cares what you keep repeating about his run defense, he is the backup to a guy the coaches feel is better overall, regardless of your continuous rambling about his run defense....that he didnt display much of today.
Reddick was on the street ....surely he is better than Te'o as well :facepalm1:

And WTH are you talking about where is my evidense that Te'o played wll on a spained foot? I was talking about last season when he was playing on a broken foot and he was playing better down the stretch. He was playing well this year too till he sprained his foot.

As for Jenkins.......who gives a shit about him. He has done nothing so far, injured or not and last year, he was not. Keenan Allen has been 1000 times better than what Jenkins will do perhaps his whole career....which hasnt been even as good as Te'o,....... who you keep ripping.

First, I have only ever asserted that Conner has looked more impressive versus the run than Te'o and that with more playing time he might get exposed versus the pass. I said that before today's game.

The team chose not to expose him and played him more sparingly than I had hoped. I was hoping he could play pass defense. I already know he can play run defense. Based upon what happened today, it seems like the team has concerns about Conner's ability to defend the pass.

Nothing that happened today is inconsistent with anything I have said. I already knew that Conner might not be able to defend the pass and might not be as good as Te'o because of that.

Second, your inability to understand that a player can be better than a starter at one phase of the game, but not as good overall is impressive. All I have said is that Conner is a better run defender than Te'o. I stand by that assertion. What I saw today from Conner today versus what I have seen from Te'o in the regular season is consistent with that position.

In that same way, it also possible that Reddick, who is also known a run stuffing ILB, might be better than Te'o versus the run. Anything above average from Reddick versus the run would make him better versus the run than Te'o, who is very average against the run. So let's not pretend that it is inconceivable that best trait of a street FA can't be better than that trait on the part of a starter.

I think Tevin Reese is probably faster than Keenan Allen, but that doesn't make him a better player than Allen. See how that works?! Neither Cooper nor Burnett were as good against the run as Siler and yet both were better ILBs on the whole than Siler. What I am talking about is the same thing.

Te'o has not impressed in either season. The fact is that we had nobody to compete against Te'o to start at ILB so he has been able to start for us since his arrival.

And as for Jenkins, I suppose every dedicated Saints fan gives a shit about him since he played very well for them last year, better than Te'o has for us so far. They expect him to be stud for them and they know him better than we know him. Again, only on thi sforum does anyone have a bad thing to say about Jenkins. It is a total disconnect with reality.

Allen worked out better for us only because of the injuries. The reality is that he is not a starter for us either last year or this year without the season ending injuries to Alexander and Floyd. The likelihood is that if we had taken Jenkins, he would have taken over for Thomas in short order because the guy is a wall. Thomas had the size, but was not as stout as he should have been with that size. Jenkins did not have that problem last year. Our run defense would have been instantly much better. He would have been perfect for Te'o because he would have kept Te'o clean and Te'o struggles when he is not kept clean.

[richpjr]

Yuba, this isn't a court of law, it's a court of public opinion and you have lost here. Badly. It really is okay to agree to disagree and move on to another topic.

[Beerman]

First, I have only ever asserted that Conner has looked more impressive versus the run than Te'o and that with more playing time he might get exposed versus the pass. I said that before today's game.

The team chose not to expose him and played him more sparingly than I had hoped. I was hoping he could play pass defense. I already know he can play run defense. Based upon what happened today, it seems like the team has concerns about Conner's ability to defend the pass.

Nothing that happened today is inconsistent with anything I have said. I already knew that Conner might not be able to defend the pass and might not be as good as Te'o because of that.

Second, your inability to understand that a player can be better than a starter at one phase of the game, but not as good overall is impressive. All I have said is that Conner is a better run defender than Te'o. I stand by that assertion. What I saw today from Conner today versus what I have seen from Te'o in the regular season is consistent with that position.

In that same way, it also possible that Reddick, who is also known a run stuffing ILB, might be better than Te'o versus the run. Anything above average from Reddick versus the run would make him better versus the run than Te'o, who is very average against the run. So let's not pretend that it is inconceivable that best trait of a street FA can't be better than that trait on the part of a starter.

I think Tevin Reese is probably faster than Keenan Allen, but that doesn't make him a better player than Allen. See how that works?! Neither Cooper nor Burnett were as good against the run as Siler and yet both were better ILBs on the whole than Siler. What I am talking about is the same thing.

Te'o has not impressed in either season. The fact is that we had nobody to compete against Te'o to start at ILB so he has been able to start for us since his arrival.

And as for Jenkins, I suppose every dedicated Saints fan gives a shit about him since he played very well for them last year, better than Te'o has for us so far. They expect him to be stud for them and they know him better than we know him. Again, only on thi sforum does anyone have a bad thing to say about Jenkins. It is a total disconnect with reality.

Allen worked out better for us only because of the injuries. The reality is that he is not a starter for us either last year or this year without the season ending injuries to Alexander and Floyd. The likelihood is that if we had taken Jenkins, he would have taken over for Thomas in short order because the guy is a wall. Thomas had the size, but was not as stout as he should have been with that size. Jenkins did not have that problem last year. Our run defense would have been instantly much better. He would have been perfect for Te'o because he would have kept Te'o clean and Te'o struggles when he is not kept clean.

The reality is that you have no fucking clue. The fact that we play in a nickel 70% of our snaps mean that your precious run down players are largely irrelevant and mainly backups.

The only thing that matters is scoring defense. We are currently top 5.

To illuminate you on how that has happened is simple - we improved our pass rush and corners. Pretty much what most of us knew should be the priorities for OUR scheme.

[Thunder Thighs]

Okay, so this is Bleacher Report, but some good points are made:

The San Diego Chargers defense, one of 12 in the league to have allowed less than 1,000 total yards through three games this season, just lost its leading tackler, Manti Te'o. Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego reported Monday night that the Chargers inside linebacker will miss "extensive time" with a foot fracture suffered Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. That report had not yet been announced by the team as of Monday night.

It's a hard pill to swallow for a San Diego team that has called upon its disruptive defense, graded at No. 5 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), in situations such as the 22-10 Week 2 win over division powerhouse Seattle, a victory that put the rest of the league on notice.

Te'o, who leads the Chargers in tackles with 19, has been at the forefront of this unit in his second year. He was particularly effective against the Bills on Sunday, notching 10 tackles for the second time in his professional career (the first was in the final week of the 2013 season against the Kansas City Chiefs).

After finishing last season with 61 tackles, Te'o was on pace for just over 100 in 2014. He was all over the field Sunday and was particularly effective against the run; on four of his 10 tackles, he held C.J Spiller and Fred Jackson to gains of eight or fewer yards. After Week 3, he is ranked the ninth-best inside linebacker in the league by Pro Football Focus.

This is the second injury Te'o has suffered to his right foot and also sprained his left foot this past preseason. The first injury to his right foot required offseason surgery. This is the second consecutive season where Te'o will miss multiple weeks.

Though the Chargers already have a second-round pick invested in Te'o, they saw an opportunity when the Indianapolis Colts let inside linebacker Kavell Conner walk in free agency this offseason. San Diego signed Conner to a three-year deal, and prior to Te'o's injury, he was listed behind Donald Butler on the depth chart. Per Gehlken, Conner is expected to start in place of Te'o rather than Reggie Walker, who is listed behind Te'o on the depth chart.


Height Weight Wingspan Career-High Tackles/Game
Manti Te'o 6'1" 241 lbs 65" 10
Kavell Conner 6'0" 242 lbs 65.5" 18

Can Conner replace the production that the Chargers have been getting from Te'o? Physically very similar to Te'o, Conner wasn't hailed as quite as big of a playmaker coming out of college at Clemson, where he played on the outside. He was drafted in the seventh round in 2010. Still, he's had his share of production, including a 104-tackle season in 2011.That's the year he posted his insane career-high 18 tackles in one game, highlighted in the table above, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 3.

While Conner has pass (sic? past?) production going for him, it's unlikely he'll be as versatile as Te'o has proven to be in his young career.
The Chargers will miss the ability they have with Te'o to utilize his broad skill set against the run

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2207697-kavell-conner-has-big-shoes-to-fill-following-manti-teo-injury

[Thunder Thighs]

Seems to me it isn't a slam dunk that Conner is the better run defender.

[Thunder Thighs]

My vote is for Te'o to return as the starter.

[Boltjolt]

I guess you would consider the penalty play as a bad effort by Conner. It was probably the best play made by an ILB all game long. The penalty call was horseshit pure and simple. Read the definition of taunting and the examples of what is and is not allowed. Conner did nothing illegal. Rather, he made a great play. I thought it was better than any play made by Te'o this year. He made a couple of other tackles as well and did so in a way that was better than I thought Te'o would have based upon what Te'o has done this year in regular season games. He got credited for an assist on a solo tackle on one play, though. The guy is clearly a more stout and thumping presence than Te'o. I do not think anyone can reasonably deny that. The way I would say it is that when he makes a play, it usually involves a hard, fairly crushing hit on which the offensive player is going nowhere but down instead of the more finesse, get dragged a yard or two extra hits/tackles made by Te'o.

Te'o is supposed to be leading the team in tackles and he was tied with Weddle--for 64th in the league, not exactly getting inducted into the Hall of Fame next week. So I thought it was a joke that another poster was citing tackle totals.

Butler has been playing poorly--everyone knows that, even Butler.

The problem was that the team didn't play Conner enough for us to see how good/bad he is against the pass. Logically, this, plus his reputation of struggling versus the pass, tells me that the team does not trust him in these situations.

This was too bad because Gachkar really did not impress today at all. Honestly, I couldn't remember him looking worse as a Charger. He seems to have lost some quickness (was very sluggish today), so he is still kind of soft against the run, but now also not very good against the pass, much worse than he was last year. I thought the secondary really helped on a lot of the short wide passing plays. Wright played very well until he got hurt (nice open field tackles). Flowers also played well. Addae played well at times. Gilchrist pitched in on a few plays.

There is a whole lot of that post that is just a laugher. It really is damn funny that you think you are right about everything. Lol, seriously...you really are a Te'o hater saying the bullshit you said in the bolded above. I'm not going to keep discussing it because you just keep babbling on repeating yourself.

Pointing out that Te'o and Weddle were tied for 64th in tackles is just a weak meaningless thing to say. There is more I could say but why bother? It will just be more of the same.