Last Friday night, the Sevier County Smoky Bears from Sevierville, TN, hosted the Jefferson County Patriots from Dandridge. Sevier County won that game by a score of 35-14. In a night where Sevier County’s offense was very efficient, and they put up over 400 yards of offense, just as impressive was the defense, especially the middle line backer, #45 Tyler Mann.
Mann had a spectacular performance against the Patriots. He had 11 solo tackles, 6 assists, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. All of this against a Jefferson County team with great talent all over the field.
Even though he played at a high level agains the Patriot’s offense, this kind of aggressive play is the norm for Mann. He plays the middle linebacker well, as the “quarterback” of the defense. He has size, strength, speed and a high football IQ. In Friday night’s game, he made effective plays whether he was up on the line of scrimmage or dropping back in coverage.
Tyler Mann is a kid to watch in the future. He has some looks, but nothing definitive. He has all the skills needed to play at the next level. For Mann, it is also obvious that he has had great coaching. His focus is always on the next team and the next opponent. A focus that is necessary if a player wants to be consistently great, week by week.
