Mike Teel: From INT To NFL

October 11th 2008: Mike Teel had a grand total of 3 tds through 6 games.  And by the way, he had 7 interceptions.  Instead of being known for his passing and touchdown throwing, he was known as that crappy Rutgers quarterback who throws interceptions, gets booed at home, and hits his teammates, reffering to when he was frustrated after a play in the Navy game, resulting in him hitting the helmet of teammate CB Glen Lee.  And then, of course, any NFL hopes for Mike Teel, along with the 2008 season for the 1-5 Scarlet Knights, were done.  Or were they?

October 18th: Mike Teel manages the game well in a 12-10 victory over Uconn, though he did not get a touchdown.  The good news, he didn't throw a pick and Rutgers finally got their 2nd win.

October 25th: Mike Teel throws for 361 yards, 6 td's, and just 1 interception.  His 6 touchdowns passes in a single game was a school record.  He also received the National Player of the Week award for his performance.  And his Scarlet Knights improved to 3-5.

Over the next 3 weeks, Mike Teel threw for 7 touchdowns and over 270 yards in all 3 games, leading Rutgers to improving their record to 6-5, and a 4th straight bowl eligibility.

December 4th: Mike Teel breaks his own record of 6 touchdowns in a single game, throwing an astonishing 7 touchdowns at home for the last time, in a 63-14 victory over Louisville.  To go along with his record breaking 7 td's, he threw for 447 yds, a school single game record.  O yeah, and he got a standing ovation after exiting the game early in the fourth quarter.

December 29th: Rutgers played in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, in which they were once again led by record setting Mike Teel to their 3rd straight bowl victory.  Teel threw for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 int in the victory.

Mike Teel left Rutgers as its all time leader in career passing touchdowns and yards, along with being the record holder for a Scarlet Knight in passing touchdowns and yards for a single game. The same guy who threw more than twice as many picks as touchdowns through 7 games of his senior year, hit teammate Glen Lee during a game against Navy, and was booed at home, is considered Rutgers all time greatest quarterback in its' history.

Mike Teel was drafted with the 5th pick in the 6th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.  He fought his way to the 3rd string quarterback job.  Teel will look to be the eventual starter for Seattle after the aging Matt Hassleback is gone.  If you don't think Mike Teel has what it takes to take over the starting job, I think you might want to read over this article one more time and see that Mike Teel is the real deal.  If you still can't believe me, then you'll just have to wait a few years to be proven wrong.