Ever since Teair Tart arrived as an undrafted free-agent signing of the Tennessee Titans prior to the 2020 season, the talented defensive lineman has steadily developed into a household name within the fanbase.
However, Tart’s league-wide reputation as a playmaker grew on Sunday following an incredible interception that ultimately helped setup a Titans touchdown on the ensuing drive to extend their first-half lead to 21 points.
The Florida International product was being double-teamed on the play by Indianapolis’ two best blockers. The Philadelphia native quickly realized he probably wasn’t getting to the quarterback but remained cognizant of where the ball was and got his hands up right as the pass was thrown.
It’s tART! 🎨 @speedboy_te
📺: Watch #TENvsIND on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/7RjzmmNHfY
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 2, 2022
Colts linemen Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly quickly realized that the ball had been tipped in the air, and their natural reaction was to knock Tart down in order to eliminate the threat of an interception.
Unfortunately for them, Nelson ended up pushing the Titans defender directly towards the ball, and it ended up falling right into Tart’s grasp.
Tart admitted that he’s been catching a lot of jokes from his teammates, in particular for his “break-dancing” celebration that followed the turnover.
Still can’t believe NT Teair Tart tipped, tracked, picked off & posed with a head stand on this play!
Elite Big Man play here 💪🏼 #Titans pic.twitter.com/EvvrDNy8lQ
— Wes on Broadway (@TitansStats) October 3, 2022
“It’s been pretty funny — I’m getting some jokes from the DBs, some of my teammates, about me break-dancing on my head,” Tart said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “So, it’s been fun and cool, finding other ways to impact the game.”
Despite having some success the past few years and becoming a starter, Tart took nothing for granted going into this year and continued striving to improve his game.
“The biggest thing for me this offseason was not taking anything for granted,” Tart said. “At one point you can feel like you’re at the top of the world, the next minute everything can be gone. Coming into this season I just wanted to improve on every little detail that I could to be a student of the game.
“(Coaches) tell me never to get satisfied, and never to get comfortable. After every game I talk to the coaches, and they tell me what I need to work on. You can never be satisfied or be content.”
Outside of this impressive pick, the third-year defensive tackle had an all-around impactful Week 4 performance.
Pro Football Focus gave Tart the fourth-highest overall grade on the team (82.9) after he recorded three tackles, two passes defensed, and one interception.
In total, Tart has recorded seven tackles, three passes defensed, two quarterback hits, and one interception through the first four games of the season.