Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te

According to U-T San Diego, Butler doesn´t share the public enthusiasm about the Chargers´ second round pick at this point. He doesn´t know to much about the young linebacker as he hasn´t met him yet and didn´t follow his games in college.

“I think a lot of people are jumping to conclusions,” Butler said this week. “He has to come in and prove himself as a starter. Obviously, it would be nice — that’s why you draft someone in the second round. We don’t know how he’s going to be in the NFL. I hope he comes in and he’s a superstar. Hopefully we can create something that will carry us for the next four, five, six years.

“I’m looking forward to him coming in and being excited to work. From what I’ve heard, that is what he likes to do: humble guy who wants to come in and just work and really hone his craft.”

I think that´s an accurate way to look at this situation.

Sure, Te’o had a great college career. He led Notre Dame in tackles the past three seasons and is one of the most decorated college football players in history. He won seven national awards and was second in the Heisman Trophy race last year. Te’o is only the third defensive player to receive the Walter Camp Award and he became the first defensive player to win the Maxwell Award since 1980, ending a string of nine straight quarterbacks. But we all know in what kind of bizarre, weird and also very embarrassing story he was involved with; and in January this year, this story became public. It surely was a tough time for him and now he will have to face again some comments and questions by the media about this drama and of course also by his teammates.

“I’m sure he’ll get some jabs,” Butler said. “But that comes with being a rookie. He might get a little more because of his situation, but I’m sure he’s man enough to handle it and really grow from it. I don’t think it’s going to be anything over-the-top. It’ll be your normal rookie jokes.”

General Manager Tom Telesco and the Chargers weren´t bothered too much by the scrutiny Te’o has been under, when they pulled the trigger in on the top linebacker prospect out of the University of Notre Dame.

“Obviously not. We took him,” Telesco said. “We did our due diligence. All that stuff is not a concern to us. So we’re just really, really excited to get him here. He took that Notre Dame program and kind of raised the talent level of the whole program. He was the undisputed leader there. We saw that.

“As a player, as a playmaker, he’s instinctive. We can’t wait to get him on the field.”

I hope Telesco is right, because he moved up seven spots in the second round to grab the college star linebacker at No. 38. The Bolts received the 38^th overall pick from the Arizona Cardinals, in exchange for their second- (No. 45) and fourth-round (No. 110) picks.
I have to admit, the loss of that fourth round selection still hurts a bit, as we would´ve been able to use this 110^th overall pick to bring in a solid starting caliber at nose tackle or outside linebacker.

But whatever, I´m fine with Manti Te´o but I also have to agree with Donald Butler: Get him in and let him prove himself first. He has to earn his respect in the NFL.

But I´m pretty confident that we´re going to experience a tough beast tandem behind the defensive line in the next few years.

Bolt Family, feel free to share your thoughts about Manti Te´o in the comments section below.

Thank you for reading!

BoltnRoll!

In an effort to provide an exciting new read for the fans of BoltBeat.com, I’ve been fortunate enough to lock down an interview with former All-Pro fullback, and San Diego Charger, Lorenzo Neal. 

Lorenzo follows me on Twitter so I was able to reach out to him via direct message.  I asked him if it would be possible to set something up and I left him my email address and phone number. 

To my surprise, I received a phone call, from LoNeal himself, later that evening. 

I have no problem admitting that I tripped over my words and repeated myself multiple times.  Neal is one of my favorite Chargers of all time.  It was an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to speak with him on the phone.  The same can be said about the fact that he agreed to do an interview for BoltBeat.com for all of you to enjoy.

I have recently emailed him the questions.  He has already read them and mentioned that he thought they were very good questions.

Four of the questions are from Charger fans on Twitter.  If you don’t have a Twitter account, I suggest that you open one up as soon as possible.  It’s a great way to get Charger news as it becomes available.

Stay tuned for this interview because, per our conversation, he has some interesting insight on Norv Turner’s hiring and time in San Diego, what went wrong with the Bolts this year, and what he is up to now in his life.

After taking a long break from these interviews, I’m back with another edition of Fan Perspective.  The other night I had the privilege of interviewing Vinnie Lopez in San Diego.  He and I did this as a phone interview. 

Vinnie is a 3rd generation diehard and bleeds Charger colors.  The first Charger game he attended was against the hated Raiders during 1968.

Now that’s what I call perspective.

Let’s get this thing rolling.  Feel free to leave questions and/or comments at the bottom of the article.

BoogaP:  Give the fans a little personal bio.

Vinnie:  Born and raised in San Diego.  Born at Grossmount Hospital.  Spent a couple years in Houston but have spent all of the rest of my life in San Diego.

BoogaP:  Who is your favorite Charger player of all time?

Vinnie:  I’d definitely have to say Kellen Winslow.  It’s because of the way he played the game.  He always left it all on the field.  He acted as if every play was the last play of his career.  When he was called on to block, it was like he was a third offensive tackle in the game.

BoogaP:  Who is your least favorite Charger player of  all time?

Vinnie:  That would have to be John Jefferson.  Mostly because of the fact that he left to chase the money.  He was kind of a diva receiver.  Not to the extreme of a Randy Moss-type but you know what I mean.

BoogaP:  What is your most memorable moment as a Charger Fan?

Vinnie:  The last play of the AFC Championship when Dennis Gibson knocked down that Neil O’Donnell pass.  I will never forget that play.

BoogaP:  What moment stands out, in your mind, as a truly bad moment?

Vinnie:  The “breakup” between Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers.  I hated the way that it was handled.  Lots of personal feelings got in the way of a business deal. 

BoogaP:  Initially, what was your impression of the free agent class brought in during the 2012 offseason? 

Vinnie:  I was really high on the Robert Meachem signing.  Not so fond of the signing of LeRon McClain.  Overall, I’d have to give this free agent class a D grade.

BoogaP:  How do you feel about the drafting of Melvin Ingram now that that season is almost over?

Vinnie:  Ingram has great upside.  Good athlete but it seems that the “game speed” in the NFL took him off guard.  He’s always a step behind.  I wish that they would move him inside next to Butler.

BoogaP:  Do you agree that both Norv Turner and A.J. Smith should be fired?  If you could only choose one to fire, which one do you think deserves it more? 

Vinnie:  It’s a foregone conclusion that they will both be fired.  Turner shows absolutely no fire as a head coach.  You have to show to everyone that you are in it to win it.  A.J. has made some hits but has missed enough times to be shown the door.  He’s let a lot of quality players walk without the team receiving sufficient compensation.  Usually no compensation. 

If I had to only choose one, I’d pick A.J. Smith.

BoogaP:  Due to their lack of production, would you cut Robert Meachem or Eddie Royal right now?

Vinnie:  No, I wouldn’t.  They are both owed too much money.  I really hope that Meachem steps it up in the last couple games and, of course, next season.

BoogaP:  Do you agree with all of the criticism that Philip Rivers receives from both the fans and the media?

Vinnie:  NO!  I think that it is just stupid.  The people that are saying that don’t know anything about NFL football.  I know he’s made some bad decisions but he’s constantly running for his life and we know he isn’t mobile.  Get him an O-line.

BoogaP:  Do you think that Ryan Mathews has been given the appropriate chance to show what he can do at this level? 

Vinnie:  He’s been given a chance.  He puts the ball on the turf too often.  His injuries are an obvious concern.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he was relegated to a third down back in the future.  If he can learn to pick up the blitz, that is.

BoogaP:  Do you think that Antonio Gates is done?

Vinnie:  Done?  No.  Is he slow now?  Yes.  Gates used to be the first option on most pass plays.  Not so much now.  I love the leadership intangible that he brings.  But, yes, he has definitely lost a step.

BoogaP:  What is your impression of Danario Alexander?

Vinnie:  I like him a lot.  He has made some great plays.  What he brings to the run game as a blocker is an added bonus.

BoogaP:  And lastly, my favorite question, how often do you visit BoltBeat.com?

Vinnie:  I check out BoltBeat everyday!  I tweet out the articles as I see them on Twitter too.  

My thanks go out to Vinnie for taking the time to do this interview.  It was great to talk to him on the phone and I really like following him on Twitter.  He’s a funny guy and a diehard Charger fan.

If you are on Twitter, make sure to follow @BigVin, Vinnie Lopez. 

Now that the Chargers’ season is coming to a close, expect to see Fan Perspective articles return to the site much more frequently.

Fan Perspective is a chance for you the fan to have your opinions on the Chargers printed in an article here on BoltBeat.com.

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP