Is “Teo” A Budding Stud?
November 20th, 2012
Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has a knack for pulling guys off the street that, with the proper coaching, excel.
There’s Donald Penn, there’s Demar Dotson, there’s Michael Bennett, all guys who were someone else’s trash, now Bucs treasures.
Could defensive lineman Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, plucked from the Eagles practice squad, be the next in line? If one wraps his arms around the analysis from the ProFootballFocus.com crowd, Te’o-Nesheim (can we just refer to him as “Teo?”) is a diamond in the rough, just based on his performance at Carolina Sunday.
There were few plays in this game when the Tampa defensive line didn’t disrupt the Panthers’ front. Pressuring Cam Newton on close to 60% of drop-backs, the combination of Michael Bennett, DaQuan Bowers, Gerald McCoy, and Daniel Te’o- Nesheim routinely took advantage of Carolina’s offensive line. They especially caused problems for the Panthers’ interior, though the damage wasn’t limited to the inside with five of the six Panthers who played snaps up front receiving negative grades in pass protection.
Te’o (+4.3) had the most complete game of the aforementioned linemen, with four quarterback disruptions and an additional three stops against the run. The bigger story, though, might be the play of Bowers. In just his fourth game back from an Achilles injury, the second-year defensive end recorded five pressures in just 22 rushes — that’s once every 4.4 snaps rushing the passer. If Bowers can keep this up and remain healthy, what’s been a formidable defense could become downright scary as they hit the home-stretch of the season.
Just like the offensive line has been greatly helped by backups filling in for injured stud players, so too has the defensive line been aided by backups. The loss of defensive end Adrian Clayborn stung the Bucs and greatly concerned Joe. But Teo’s play has sure eased the discomfort.
November 20th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Only jersey in the NFL with a “-” and a “‘”. That should be a hot seller just for its uniqueness.
November 20th, 2012 at 2:18 pm
if bowers and teo keep coming on strong it make the decision of what to do with Bennet this offseason a little tougher. not sure where we are salary cap-wise, but all 4 DEs will be due for new contracts in the next 3 seasons i think
November 20th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Schiano and his staff have proved that good, scratch that, great coaching makes all the difference. I admit snagging the best receiver free agent and the best running back in the draft, along with a stud rookie linebacker and a budding star safety were instrumental. Go Bucs!
November 20th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Being a UW alum I was really hoping the Bucs would draft T’eo-Nesheim two years ago but the Eagles nabbed him first. He was an outstanding LB for the Huskies but also had hand-on-the-ground pass rush skills. Glad to see him put on weight and become a full-time DE. Also glad to see him budding into a starting caliber NFL player.
Dominik may have had some misses in his first couple drafts but it’s obvious that he learns and improves every year and continually gets better, to the point where he’s now one of the best GMs out there at it in my opinion. It’s also impressive that he’s so good at recognizing talent on other teams’ practice squads as well as on the waiver wire. I truly believe he and Schiano make a perfect team and the Bucs are destined for consistent success because of it.
November 20th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
I love watching the underdogs go out and make plays. Love watching Danny Woodhead in NE and Danny Amendola in StL. The heart of players like these and Teo is such a force in how they play. I could only wish that every talent in the NFL had drive and determination like these guys. You would be surprised at how many times work ethic and sound technique can make up for size and raw power. Teo is a great compliment to the motor that drives M Bennett.
November 20th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
The guy has done well the past two weeks. He is built like a ox and has decent speed as well. Lets see how long he can maintain this type of play.
November 20th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
You can drop the Nesheim, but you can’t drop the ‘okina. Te’o. Respect the Samoan name and play.
November 20th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Te’o, all respect to our Samoan brothers, played like a stud Sunday and although I am a big fan of Profootball Focus it didn’t take them to tell me that. Anyone watching the game saw Te’o living in the backfield throughout the game. I am happy to see the line play getting better as improved line play will inevitably lead to better secondary play and more interceptions. Te’o and Bowers emergence will make McCoy and Bennett that much better as it appears to have done last Sunday. The whole line was very disruptive. Good thing our defense played pretty well as our offense was in the tank. In the immortal words of Sammy Sosa “let’s keep it continue”. GO BUCS !!!! beat the hell out of Atlanta.
November 20th, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Te’o contract: Signed a two-year, $990,000 contract. 2012: $540,000, 2013: Restricted Free Agent
we have plenty of money to resign both Bennet AND Te’o this offseason (although, i would love to see them lock up Bennet before then…..Free and Bennet need to get done this season to help avoid future cap hits….we still have SO much free money left for this year…not sure if we will be able to do a cap-rollover again next year like we did this year)
November 20th, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Daniel Te’o-Nesheim sounds more like the Buccaneer Team Rabbi.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
I think you guys are overlooking a key possibilty…trade bait for the draft. Whether it is Teo or Bennett, we will need to score some bargaining power in the next draft. We need CBs, a DT and an OG.