National TV Game a Chance for Rookie to Make a Name for Himself
NASHVILLE – The Chicago Bears did not know who Teair Tart was. They found out, though, what the rookie defensive lineman can do.
It happened just over a minute into the fourth quarter. The Bears had a first-and-goal from the 4 and attempted a shovel pass. Tart, however, drove his blocker into the backfield and into the path of intended receiver Allen Robinson, who got tripped up and was unavailable to quarterback Nick Foles. Eventually, Foles was sacked for a 1-yard loss, and three plays later Chicago settled for a field goal.
“Whatever defensive player that was, he came up the field pretty hard and disrupted the play,” Robinson said after the game.
When the Tennessee Titans (6-2) host the Indianapolis Colts (5-3) on Thursday night, Tart is likely to remain relatively anonymous. The contest between the top two teams in the AFC South features two of the NFL’s elite interior defensive linemen, Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons and Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner. Much attention will be paid to those two, by the offenses that have to deal with them and the national television broadcast crew that will call the game.
But the primetime showcase does offer an opportunity to introduce himself to a larger audience and earn a bit more name recognition.
Undrafted out of Florida International, Tart is less than a week removed from his NFL debut, but he likely did enough in his 22 snaps for the defense against the Bears to warrant another look. He was credited with one quarterback pressure and no tackles but the 6-foot-2, 304-pounder proved he could hold his own – and then some – against NFL offensive linemen.
By comparison, Larrell Murchison, the fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, was on the field for just 22 sacks.
“(Tart) is a big, powerful kid,” Tennessee’s outside linebacker coach/defensive play caller, Shane Bowen said. “When he gets going straight ahead, he is going to be tough to stop. I think he is learning more, and he prepared last week to play. He knew he was going to play. … Those big guys, if they can get lined up in the right spot and go straight ahead, usually good things are going to happen for them.”
Tart’s path to the NFL has been anything but a straight line. A Philadelphia native, he played one year of junior college football in New York and a second in Iowa before he got to Florida International, where he was a part-time starter.
This summer, he spent the entire offseason with the Titans and immediately was signed to the practice squad after being cut at the start of the regular season. Among the first 13 players signed to the practice squad, he is now one of seven who have appeared in at least one regular-season game.
“It was a great opportunity and I just wanted to take advantage of it,” Tart said Sunday. “I went out there and gave it my best effort by making some plays and trying to help the team. … Just always be ready, always be prepared, stay in your playbook. Just stay on top of everything you need to do to be ready when your opportunity comes.”
