Manti Te'o Outlines Three Types of Quarterbacks That Give Defenses Most Issues

The retired NFL linebacker gave his take on NFL Network's 'Good Morning Football.'

Aug 20, 2017; Carson, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Manti Te'o (51) celebrates after sacking Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Kellen Clemens (10) (not pictured) with teammate Saints defensive end Obum Gwacham (58) during a NFL football game at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Retired linebacker Manti Te'o is settling in to his new role as an analyst on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. He led an interesting segment on Tuesday where he outlined the types of quarterbacks that give defenses the most issues.

"The first are the option quarterbacks," Te'o began. "I like to call them the Navy Seals because just like the Navy Seals can beat you by land or by sea, these quarterbacks can beat you through the air and on their feet. When you play these quarterbacks, you have to ask yourself a question. 'Which option do I not want to beat me?'"

Te'o outlined Robert Griffin III and Lamar Jackson as two quarterbacks that he played against in his career that gave the defense plenty of problems to gameplan for.

The second group of quarterbacks that Te'o focused on centered around their accuracy with the football.

"The second group are the snipers," Te'o said. "These quarterbacks are the ones that have pinpoint accuracy when they release the ball. The type of accuracy that I'm referring to is not the type where they throw the ball and hit you right between the eyes. The type of accuracy that I'm referring to is their ability to throw the ball in spaces their receivers aren't even in yet."

When naming the quarterbacks who are able to throw receivers open, Te'o cited former teammate Drew Brees in New Orleans, and said that he sees the same qualities in Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The last group of quarterbacks that Te'o said gave defenses the most problems were the ones that had full command of the offense. The "field generals."

"The last group is the deadliest of them all. There aren't a lot of them around anymore. These guys, I call the field generals. This is a dying breed, but when I played, they were everywhere. ...These are the Rodgers's, the Bradys, the Mannings, the Brees's. I was very lucky to play with one of the most underrated of them all in Philip Rivers. These are the guys that know the game of football at a level that they wouldn't get playing Madden. They are the type of quarterbacks that approach the line of scrimmage with...the entire playbook at their disposal..."

Manti Te'o's 3 types of QBs that give defenses the most problems 🫡 pic.twitter.com/9g6LhYMb1q

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) August 27, 2024

Te'o certainly has enough experience at the NFL level to comment on all three types of quarterbacks, having seen plenty of different styles of signal callers over his eight seasons as a professional.

Time will tell which quarterbacks will catch Te'o's eye this fall.