Manti Te’o ready for a big sophomore season with Chargers
By Josh Sanchez
During his rookie campaign in the NFL, San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o had a rather uneventful year. However, he has been working hard this offseason to get himself to the point where he will be able to make a big impact in his sophomore campaign.
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“The offseason was great,” Te’o told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
“Rookie year is possibly the hardest year. Everyone told me that it was. You go non-stop. It’s all football from your last game in college to preparing for the combine to preparing for the draft to getting drafted and then coming straight to rookie minicamp and going through the real thing. The offseason allowed me to just get some away time and get a jumpstart in my workouts. It was good.”
That great offseason and the ability to keep his focus on football could lead to a breakout season for Te’o, and he believes that he is physically ready to make the big impact the Chargers were hoping for when they selected him in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
“I’m in the best shape of my life,” Te’o said. “The way I feel, the control I have over my body, I’m the same weight but physically I’m just different. Mentally, obviously, I have a year under my belt. I can build off of that.”
Whether or not Te’o is able to bring everything together remains to be seen, but he is mentally in the right place and that is just as important as physically being ready.
If Te’o improves, he will help the Chargers in a great way as they look to begin a massive turnaround on the defensive side of the ball.