MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Manti Te'o had a rough outing in the BCS Championship Game on Monday night. There is no way to sugarcoat it. After 12 solid performances, Te'o and the Notre Dame defense were annihilated by a bigger, stronger and faster Alabama offense, as the Crimson Tide sprinted to a 42-14 win. On the game's opening possession, Alabama's offensive line took control of the game, pushing Te'o and his defensive mates right down the field.
Te'o wasn't the only Irish defender to be manhandled, but his reputation coming into the game made his poor play the focus of everyone's attention. He was routinely late to fill gaps. When he was able to engage a 'Bama lineman, he couldn't free himself to make a play. When he was unblocked, he missed several tackles, either by bouncing off or whiffing on the talented Crimson Tide running backs.
The world of Twitter exploded with negative comments about Te'o. Shoot, I personally contributed a handful myself. However, let's not get too carried away with one bad -- OK, horrible -- performance.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Te'o's pro potential, comparing him to former Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans. I never put Te'o in the same class as players like Patrick Willis, Jerod Mayo and Jon Beason when they entered the draft.
I don't envision Te'o's stock tumbling quite as dramatically as one might expect after Monday night's poor play. Teams that run a 3-4 defense might be a little concerned about Te'o's inability to use his hands to get off blocks, but that's something that can be taught and improved upon. What this game might prove is that he is best suited to play in a 4-3 scheme, in which opposing offensive guards would be covered up and unable to get a clean run at him.
I'm still certain Te'o will be a first-round draft pick. He will excel during his interviews with individual teams, and his leadership abilities and intelligence will elevate his stock. Everyone has a bad game or two during their career; NFL teams won't overreact to the Monday night massacre.
