TeāOās Draft Stock Tumbled When Irish Did
By TIM ROHAN
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. ā Manti Teāoās season, filled emotional highs and lows, ended with a thud Monday night.
After a season in which he dealt with the deaths of his girlfriend and his grandmother and put together enough memorable plays to finish as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, Teāo left the college stage on the wrong end of Notre Dameās embarrassing rout in the B.C.S. championship game.
It had been a dream season for Teāo and the Irish, up until they ran into the Crimson Tide. Asked after the game about this Notre Dame teamās legacy, Teāo acknowledged that, āWeāre close; obviously weāre not there.ā
āI hope that the legacy we left was a dream season, but I donāt know,ā Teāo said.
Teāo racked up 103 tackles in the regular season, yet missed tackle after tackle Monday night. Alabama took full advantage in its 42-14 victory.
The Irish defense, a unit that Teāo had personified and which had defined Notre Dameās undefeated regular season, allowed 529 yards. If Teāo did not measure up, neither did the Fighting Irish.
The consequences could stretch beyond Monday night, beyond one final loss. It could haunt Teāo when N.F.L. teams are considering their draft boards.
āThis was the type of performance that could push him out of the first 32 picks,ā said Rob Rang, an N.F.L. Draft analyst for CBSSports.com. Rang added, āStruggling on the biggest stage of his life is not going to help his cause.ā
Of any college football team, Alabama most resembled an N.F.L. team, Rang said, so video from Mondayās game could be considered a good predictor of Teāoās ability as a pro. That video will show the Crimson Tide exploiting both Teāoās weakness (speed) and his strength (tackling).
āHe slipped off of players, didnāt bear down well in space, and just didnāt have the speed to beat the running back to the edge,ā Rang said, although it did not take an expert to see that.
How Teāoās performance will affect his draft stock is, of course, uncertain. But Notre Dame also faces a somewhat ambiguous path ahead.
Teāo will be gone. So will the senior tight end Tyler Eifert, Notre Dameās top receiving threat; Theo Riddick, one of the Irishās top rushers; and center Braxston Cave, among others. Running back Cierre Wood, who has a year of eligibility left, is considering making himself eligible for the draft.
Coach Brian Kelly could also be contemplating such a move.
On Saturday Kelly said of coaching in the N.F.L.: āItās flattering if there is interest, which I donāt know that there is, but again, that is such a secondary topic for me right now. Itās all about this game.ā
If Kelly stays his work will most likely start with quarterback Everett Golson. On Monday, Golson threw 36 passes, many of which fluttered or sailed, and finished with 270 yards, most coming after Alabama was comfortably ahead.
With Teāo gone, Notre Dameās prospects should center even more around Golsonās development. The senior left tackle Zack Martin, who has a year of eligibility remaining, will be back, and the defensive line will return two stalwarts, Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III.
Trailing by 28 points at halftime Monday, hardly any of Teāoās teammates had played well. But it is his draft status that could have been damaged the most.
āObviously I have a lot of things to get better at,ā Teāo said. āAs far as draft stock, Iāll leave that up to the experts. Iām just going to be the best me I can be.ā
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/s...-when-irish-did.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y&_r=0
By TIM ROHAN
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. ā Manti Teāoās season, filled emotional highs and lows, ended with a thud Monday night.
After a season in which he dealt with the deaths of his girlfriend and his grandmother and put together enough memorable plays to finish as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, Teāo left the college stage on the wrong end of Notre Dameās embarrassing rout in the B.C.S. championship game.
It had been a dream season for Teāo and the Irish, up until they ran into the Crimson Tide. Asked after the game about this Notre Dame teamās legacy, Teāo acknowledged that, āWeāre close; obviously weāre not there.ā
āI hope that the legacy we left was a dream season, but I donāt know,ā Teāo said.
Teāo racked up 103 tackles in the regular season, yet missed tackle after tackle Monday night. Alabama took full advantage in its 42-14 victory.
The Irish defense, a unit that Teāo had personified and which had defined Notre Dameās undefeated regular season, allowed 529 yards. If Teāo did not measure up, neither did the Fighting Irish.
The consequences could stretch beyond Monday night, beyond one final loss. It could haunt Teāo when N.F.L. teams are considering their draft boards.
āThis was the type of performance that could push him out of the first 32 picks,ā said Rob Rang, an N.F.L. Draft analyst for CBSSports.com. Rang added, āStruggling on the biggest stage of his life is not going to help his cause.ā
Of any college football team, Alabama most resembled an N.F.L. team, Rang said, so video from Mondayās game could be considered a good predictor of Teāoās ability as a pro. That video will show the Crimson Tide exploiting both Teāoās weakness (speed) and his strength (tackling).
āHe slipped off of players, didnāt bear down well in space, and just didnāt have the speed to beat the running back to the edge,ā Rang said, although it did not take an expert to see that.
How Teāoās performance will affect his draft stock is, of course, uncertain. But Notre Dame also faces a somewhat ambiguous path ahead.
Teāo will be gone. So will the senior tight end Tyler Eifert, Notre Dameās top receiving threat; Theo Riddick, one of the Irishās top rushers; and center Braxston Cave, among others. Running back Cierre Wood, who has a year of eligibility left, is considering making himself eligible for the draft.
Coach Brian Kelly could also be contemplating such a move.
On Saturday Kelly said of coaching in the N.F.L.: āItās flattering if there is interest, which I donāt know that there is, but again, that is such a secondary topic for me right now. Itās all about this game.ā
If Kelly stays his work will most likely start with quarterback Everett Golson. On Monday, Golson threw 36 passes, many of which fluttered or sailed, and finished with 270 yards, most coming after Alabama was comfortably ahead.
With Teāo gone, Notre Dameās prospects should center even more around Golsonās development. The senior left tackle Zack Martin, who has a year of eligibility remaining, will be back, and the defensive line will return two stalwarts, Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III.
Trailing by 28 points at halftime Monday, hardly any of Teāoās teammates had played well. But it is his draft status that could have been damaged the most.
āObviously I have a lot of things to get better at,ā Teāo said. āAs far as draft stock, Iāll leave that up to the experts. Iām just going to be the best me I can be.ā
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/s...-when-irish-did.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y&_r=0
