Thursday, August 9, 2012

Game Notes: Manti Te'o


vs Michigan (2011)

  • Great start to the game with back-to-back tackles.  On the first he fought off a block and then pursued QB Denard Robinson down the LOS.
  • Fights off another block.
  • Excellent job at covering TE over the middle of the field.  Defended TE like a basketball player, wouldn't let TE get good position.  Te'o's coverage on the play helped force an INT.
  • Flows to ball well, goes low on RB for tackle.
  • Shadowed QB well, prevented him from running.
  • Got sucked in on read option, allowing a big run.
  • Juked out by Robinson by goal-line, barely got a hand on him.
  • Again, couldn't get arms fully around Robinson, allowing for extra yardage.
  • Did a great job of meeting Robinson at first-down line, but Michigan barely got the first down.
  • Followed Robinson who was running to his right, got sucked in and RB slipped out of the backfield for a TD.
Summary:  The first thing that stood out to me of Te'o's game was how athletic he is.  He really has a great burst and the strength to fight off blocks to get the tackle.  Not once did I see Te'o get handled by a block or turned around, he did a great job of getting off the blocks.  I've seen some people criticize his pass coverage of tight ends, but I thought he did a good job dropping into coverage.  He is known as a "tackling machine", but he was juked out by Robinson on a couple plays.  Overall, it was a nice game by Te'o.

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