To succeed in NFL, Manti Te’o needs Minnesota Vikings to draft him
By Nam Huynh
Oct. 8, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Robert Blanton (12) celebrates with linebacker Manti Te
Fake relationship with fake dead girlfriend.. blah blah blah.
While it may be an unpopular move among some fans and local media in Minnesota, Notre Dame draft prospect Manti Te’o should be praying the Vikings draft him on Thursday, April 25.
The team that drafts Te’o will inherit a circus that will include constant national media coverage. In fact, ESPN will have a reporter at Winter Park on Thursday just in case Minnesota takes Te’o, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press.
Oct 1, 2011; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles former quarterback Brett Favre talks on television for Comcast Sports Southeast before the start of the game against the Rice Owls at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
If Minnesota could handle the Brett Favre mania a few years back, it can handle what is to come if Te’o arrives. Favre Watch.. helicopters… schisms… text message scandals…
Despite the circus, all of Minnesota embraced Favre with open arms. Minnesota will embrace Te’o the same way. Practically anybody that can help the team that dons a Vikings uniform, who is not named Jay Cutler, would be embraced by the purple pride nation. There is a reason why the term “Minnesota Nice” exists.
Not only would the fans embrace him, the Vikings locker room is one of the better player-friendly locker rooms in the NFL. The team has a wide array of personalities that are accepted as part of the group: Jared Allen, Chris Kluwe, Jerome Simpson…. just to name a few.
Dec 30, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive back Harrison Smith (22) rests during an official time out in the second quarter of the game with the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Notre Dame ties can only help. Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton played with Te’o before they were drafted by the Vikings. All three players gave a green light on his character, when asked by reporters.
Coming to Minnesota also takes a degree of pressure away from Te’o, as this Vikings defense has many returning key playmakers for a team that went 10-6 and made the playoffs. Te’o could slide right in and should be just as effective as departed Jasper Brinkley at defending the run—and is certainly an upgrade in pass coverage.
Looking at the big overall picture, it just makes sense for Te’o to come to Minnesota, and it’s probably in his best interest. Hopefully for Te’o, he’ll have a real relationship with the Vikings come Thursday night.