Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

As practice nears its end, set up shop in the sun-soaked end zone of this gorgeous, if unfamiliar, Orange County practice field and watch the Chargers and Saints walk off the field together.

Players mingle for half an hour, chopping it up with college teammates, professional contemporaries and family members close enough to see their sons pursue an NFL dream.

Watch the Chargers closely. This could have been Manti Te'o's team.

Chargers old and young, established stars and little-known backups, make a point to stop and talk with Te'o. So do trainers, equipment managers, security guys and public-relations specialists.

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Te'o, one of the nicest, most approachable linebackers in the NFL, talks to everyone, lingering in deep conversation for 10 minutes or more with a few old teammates.

"I know everybody, and they know me," Te'o said. "It was like I had 200 teammates out there — teammates I have with the Saints, teammates I have with the Chargers."

If a step he took in the first half of a game at Indianapolis last year had been a simple plant and release, like thousands of others he has taken, Te'o might still be wearing Chargers purple.

"When I suffered my Achilles injury, it just so happened to be during a huge season," Te'o said. "That was my contract year; I came in in great shape. I was playing at a high level. I was a captain of my team, everything was working in my favor and then that happened. It kind of sends you down a spiral. You’re on this fall, and you’re trying to grab onto anything as you’re descending."

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Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

The talent is there. He just has to stay healthy.

Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

Definitely impressing.

Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

very impressed.
seems like a good guy too.

Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

I will be honest. When we picked him up I wasn't expecting much. But he is showing so far, that he has got some skills. Looking forward to seeing him this season.

Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints
 

This is exactly what I was going to say. I actually sighed when I read we signed him, and assumed he'd be an early cut

But so far (yeah, EVERYONE knows its only preseason), he's exceeded my expectations three-fold.

Re: Unbroken and unbowed, Manti Te'o is trying to come back stronger with Saints