At times Seahawks rookie quarterback Mike Teel could barely bring himself to go to class, because the taunts as he walked through the Rutgers campus were too much. Calls to bring in the backup, comments that he was a waste of time, Teel pretty much heard it all.

Just last year, Teel found himself a senior and star for a revived Rutgers program; but after a slow start, fans and media quickly turned unforgiving.

“If people weren’t there, they wouldn’t understand,” Teel said. “I think I got it worse than anyone; but the whole team just took it from our fans and took it from the media.”

Before the troubles, Teel’s career hit a high point in 2006, his first season as the starting quarterback. The Scarlet Knights went 11-2 and ended the season ranked No. 12 in the country. It was the most successful season for Rutgers football in decades.

Then the team’s record slipped to 8-5 in 2007, but Teel remained successful. He recorded 20 touchdown passes and surpassed 3,000 passing yards.

His senior year of 2008 did not start well. The team lost five of its first six games, while Teel threw just three touchdown passes to seven interceptions. Teel and his teammates soon felt the backlash of the disappointing start to the season.

While fans and the media crushed Teel, he dug deep for a way to get through the adversity. He found it in some advice from an old coach.

“My eighth-grade football coach told me the true test of a man is how he faces adversity,” Teel said.

Things turned around, Rutgers won its final six games. Teel finished the year with 25 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions, including a seven-touchdown game in his final regular season start against Louisville.

Looking back, the experience wasn’t all negative. Teel learned how to be mentally tough and surround himself with the right people.

Now in Seattle, Teel has a chance for a fresh start. That opportunity is nice, but it’s a learning experience. He’s going from a three-year starter and one of the most-respected presences in the locker room at Rutgers to the bottom rung, working his way up on an NFL team.

He certainly falls into a great situation to start his career, having a chance to learn from established quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace ahead of him on the depth chart.

Teel didn’t know much about Western Washington or the Seahawks when he was drafted, though he was familiar with coach Jim Mora from his time with the Atlanta Falcons. In his short time here, Teel’s taken to the “gorgeous scenery and snowcapped mountains.”

“We didn’t have any of that in Jersey,” Teel said. The one thing he has heard about is the fan support and the team’s raucous game-day atmosphere. “I’m extremely excited to get to learn more about that.”

Teel said he’s comfortable with how the team’s organized team activities and mini-camp practices have played out. Now, he just needs to study the playbook. He said the Seahawks’ offense isn’t necessarily more complex than the offense he ran in college, just more involved.

“It’s just a matter of learning the terminology,” he said. “Knowing the run checks, knowing the pass checks, reading the defensive fronts. Stuff like that.”

Though Teel had his name called in the draft, he doesn’t have a guaranteed spot on the team. So while getting drafted was a dream for him, he still has to earn his way through the team’s off-season activities and training camp.

“As a kid growing up, your goal is always to play in the NFL and to sit down and sign an NFL contract; it’s an accomplishment,” Teel said. “But it doesn’t guarantee anything in this business. In the NFL nothing is guaranteed. ... For me it’s just another step in the right direction.”

Teel will battle with Jeff Rowe in training camp for the team’s third quarterback spot.

For now Teel hasn’t found a home in the area and is staying at a hotel. “I need to make the team and learn my playbook before I look for a place to live,” he said.

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