LB Ryan Shazier (All B1G, All-American, 2017 Pro Bowl)

[LitlBuck]

While I agree that Te'o is the better LBer right now, there's no way Te'o should be in consideration for an award that's largely statistically based. He's a good guy and a great player, worthy of a lot of praise. But he's not producing statistics worthy of Heisman consideration IMO.

The Notre Dame network (NBC) is certainly doing their part to make him a Heisman candidate. While watching the
Fighting Irish luck out against the mighty Pittsburgh Panthers every other shot was of Te'o. Back to Shazier the better linebacker.

 

[Mac]

I just realized he has better stats than Te'o who is up for the Heisman....

Shazier: 99 Total tackles (59 solo/40 assisted), 4 sacks, 1 int, 1 TD, 7 PD

Te'o: 86 Total tackles (36 solo/50 assisted), 1.5 sacks, 5 int, 4 PD

Ryan is kicking Te'o's ass in the Solo tackle department.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/514180/ryan-shazier
http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/517633/manti-teo

Here's a side by side comparison

 

[Buckeyecty4]

On one of the boards somebody pointed out that Shazier has been on field like 90 more plays

 

[korchiki]

Is this really happening? Shazier is a great player with tons of potential but that's it so far.

Teo deserves the hype. Don't belittle his accomplishments by comparing him to Shazier. The impact on the field isn't even close. He is a great leader and the best player on an undefeated team that is exceeding all expectations.

Take off scarlet glasses guys. In time, Shazier will continue to develop...but for now, let Teo have the credit he deserves.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

Is this really happening? Shazier is a great player with tons of potential but that's it so far.

Teo deserves the hype. Don't belittle his accomplishments by comparing him to Shazier. The impact on the field isn't even close. He is a great leader and the best player on an undefeated team that is exceeding all expectations.

Take off scarlet glasses guys. In time, Shazier will continue to develop...but for now, let Teo have the credit he deserves.

Te'o is certainly a better player than Shazier because he is consistent and executes in all phases.

I have to disagree in that he deserves all the hype. He's going to be an AA and probably will win the Butkus, but that doesn't mean he also deserves to be hyped for the Heisman award. He just isn't dominant enough to have legitimate Heisman hype. It's one thing to be a great LB and make timely plays, it's quite another to be the best player in the nation and thought of as more valuable than Miller, Klein, Barner, Lee etc.

He is a great tackler, very good in coverage, but he isn't a great blitzer and doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage. You have to game plan around him, but he doesn't dominate games and that's what I'm looking for from an LB who is now #2 on the Heisman watch list.

 

[TDunk]

Te'o is certainly a better player than Shazier because he is consistent and executes in all phases.

I have to disagree in that he deserves all the hype. He's going to be an AA and probably will win the Butkus, but that doesn't mean he also deserves to be hyped for the Heisman award. He just isn't dominant enough to have legitimate Heisman hype. It's one thing to be a great LB and make timely plays, it's quite another to be the best player in the nation and thought of as more valuable than Miller, Klein, Barner, Lee etc.

He is a great tackler, very good in coverage, but he isn't a great blitzer and doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage. You have to game plan around him, but he doesn't dominate games and that's what I'm looking for from an LB who is now #2 on the Heisman watch list.

I agree and now you are seeing the ND hype machine in full steam-mode. Because they are undefeated, it must be because they have one of the most important players to pass through the college football ranks and must be included in any Heisman talk.

There also seems to be a lack of other hyped players because ESPN wants to hype SEC players and there aren't many explosive offensive players this year that stand out on top ranked teams.

 

[End of Line]

Hell, Hawk who was a monster his senior year didn't receive any of this hype.

 

[Brutus1]

Is this really happening? Shazier is a great player with tons of potential but that's it so far.

Teo deserves the hype. Don't belittle his accomplishments by comparing him to Shazier. The impact on the field isn't even close. He is a great leader and the best player on an undefeated team that is exceeding all expectations.

Take off scarlet glasses guys. In time, Shazier will continue to develop...but for now, let Teo have the credit he deserves.

Belittle his accomplishments ? Which one's are those ? I love T'eo too but calling it belittling by comparing Shazier to him is a bit too much ND hype.

 

[Dryden]

Hell, Hawk who was a monster his senior year didn't receive any of this hype.

Problem for Hawk was that '05 was stacked with great LBs. Hawk, Posluszny, Greenway, Willis, Ryans, etc. It was a difficult sell to say AJ was demonstratively better than everybody else at his position, or as valuable to his team on that side of the ball as Patrick Willis or DeMeco Ryans were, and like Te'o is today.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Teo deserves the hype. Don't belittle his accomplishments by comparing him to Shazier. The impact on the field isn't even close. He is a great leader and the best player on an undefeated team that is exceeding all expectations.

Te'o is certainly a better player than Shazier because he is consistent and executes in all phases.

Do you two truly think that Te'o is single-handedly responsible for ND's defensive improvement? If he were, that stats would show it. He's a truly great MLB, but right now he's simply a product of the Irish PR juggernaut...

He is a great tackler, very good in coverage, but he isn't a great blitzer and doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage. You have to game plan around him, but he doesn't dominate games and that's what I'm looking for from an LB who is now #2 on the Heisman watch list.

This is so nonsensical I don't know where to start, but I'll try anyway:

"doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage" JFC, what do you think a "tackle for loss" is?

"You have to game plan around him" If you're game-planning around a true soph LB, then that LB must be pretty fucking special...

"but he doesn't dominate games" Leading the team in tackles and being named the conference's defensive player of the week for the second-straight week isn't dominating games? Think back to his sack and pick-six in consecutive plays at the start of the second half at PSU...you don't think that set the tone for the rest of the game?

Come on, no one is really saying Shazier should be a serious Heisman candidate...however, you can easily argue he truly is playing as well as, if not better than, Manti Te'o is this season.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

He is a great tackler, very good in coverage, but he isn't a great blitzer and doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage. You have to game plan around him, but he doesn't dominate games and that's what I'm looking for from an LB who is now #2 on the Heisman watch list.

This is so nonsensical I don't know where to start, but I'll try anyway:

"doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage" JFC, what do you think a "tackle for loss" is?

"You have to game plan around him" If you're game-planning around a true soph LB, then that LB must be pretty fucking special...

"but he doesn't dominate games" Leading the team in tackles and being named the conference's defensive player of the week for the second-straight week isn't dominating games? Think back to his sack and pick-six in consecutive plays at the start of the second half at PSU...you don't think that set the tone for the rest of the game?

Come on, no one is really saying Shazier should be a serious Heisman candidate...however, you can easily argue he truly is playing as well as, if not better than, Manti Te'o is this season.

I think that statement was about Te'o, not Shazier.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

Do you two truly think that Te'o is single-handedly responsible for ND's defensive improvement? If he were, that stats would show it. He's a truly great MLB, but right now he's simply a product of the Irish PR juggernaut...


This is so nonsensical I don't know where to start, but I'll try anyway:

"doesn't make a lot of stops behind the line of scrimmage" JFC, what do you think a "tackle for loss" is?

"You have to game plan around him" If you're game-planning around a true soph LB, then that LB must be pretty [censored]ing special...

"but he doesn't dominate games" Leading the team in tackles and being named the conference's defensive player of the week for the second-straight week isn't dominating games? Think back to his sack and pick-six in consecutive plays at the start of the second half at PSU...you don't think that set the tone for the rest of the game?

Come on, no one is really saying Shazier should be a serious Heisman candidate...however, you can easily argue he truly is playing as well as, if not better than, Manti Te'o is this season.

I was talking about Te'o man. Shazier is playing about as well as any conference defensive player in the past few weeks and should be getting some national love.

 

[BayBuck]

Hell, Hawk who was a monster his senior year didn't receive any of this hype.

He was sixth in the Heisman voting in 2005 (the only LB receiving votes from 2000 to 2007), that seems like a pretty big deal. Te'o will join AJ as part of a very exclusive linebackers club that only also includes Rey Maualuga and LaVar Arrington over the last twenty years.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I was talking about Te'o man. Shazier is playing about as well as any conference defensive player in the past few weeks and should be getting some national love.

Then I stand corrected.

 

[End of Line]

He was sixth in the Heisman voting in 2005 (the only LB receiving votes from 2000 to 2007), that seems like a pretty big deal. Te'o will join AJ as part of a very exclusive linebackers club that only also includes Rey Maualuga and LaVar Arrington over the last twenty years.

I know. There was never any hype around him for the Heisman despite being the best defensive player that year.