Manti Te'o Did Not Impress In No Win Situation

The NFL Combine was not great for former Notre Dame Fighting Irish player Manti Te’o. Te’o did not impress coaches with his 4.8 second 40 yard dash.

The last time players played football in shorts and t-shirts was, never. When has question about one’s sexuality helped them tackle someone? Never. When would questions about a player’s girlfriend become more important than their performance on the field? Never.

It’s ridiculous to evaluate Te’o on only his 40 yard dash time, the hoax of his girlfriend or about his sexuality. Didn’t he answer the sexuality question clearly during the interview with Katie Couric? He has withstood a national media frenzy about the hoax.

Te’o was a great linebacker at Notre Dame and could  be a great player in the NFL but skeptics will criticize no matter how he performs. Te’o could have run a 4.4 40 yard dash and some so called experts would have found something else to criticize about Te’o.

According to the NFL executives that met with Te’o, he had a great interview and is focused on football. So why the skepticism over a player, who will make a immediate difference on the team that selects him. One Chicago based radio show co-host said he would not draft Te’o in the seventh round or grant him an invite to camp if he goes undrafted. This should not be a shocker because the same individual also stated the he did not vote for Te’o to be selected in the top three of the Heisman Trophy.

Te’o did not impress in his last two opportunities, the over rated NFL combine and in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. Te’o never made excuses about his performance in the title game and when questioned about his combine performance he stated that he could do better.  Te’o is not a one year wonder and did impress football fans with his play during sophomore, junior and especially his senior years at Notre Dame.

Te’o proved on the field that he deserves a chance in the NFL and he has another opportunity to shine in front of NFL teams. Notre Dame players will showcase their talents on March 26 during the pro day in South Bend.