New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - The Advocate Manti Te'o, A.J. Klein lead punishing Saints defense in overwhelming performance against Chargers

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Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 760115)

He was really looking good for the Chargers before blowing out the Achilles. I feel he just wasn't getting the respect because of the lack of success of the team as a whole. I was excited when we signed him. He has always had that high motor type of play. And he is hungry and as far as everything I have read about him he is well liked and respected by all of his teammates. It would not surprise me to see him named a defensive team captain this year as a Saint, just as he was as a Charger.

I wouldn't say there's any evidence that he was coming on with the Chargers before injury. I certainly don't draw my conclusions based on what his team was doing. There are a lot of good players on bad teams who get plenty of respect. He compiled a fair amount of tackles when on the field, not unlike a lot of middle linebackers in this league, but it's the difference making plays that were lacking in his game. Not getting in the backfield, not causing turnovers as he had in college, etc. He was a non factor against Alabama in the National Championship game and then went on to the combine and showed very poor all around athleticism. His lack of impact plays with San Diego seemed to fit with the reason he dropped so far in the draft, after being discussed as a possible top 5 overall pick in the middle of his final college season. It wasn't because of the "catfishing".

That's why I saw him as little more than someone to come in and spell Klein or Robertson and be a decent tackler, if nothing else. But, at least for this game, he showed a lot more explosiveness than I've seen from him since his college days.