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Pisa be with you: Bears land ex-Rams linebacker
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Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa has found a new home in Chicago after being let go by St. Louis Rams earlier this offseason despite being the team’s leading tackler last season.
After narrowing his choices down to Buffalo or Chicago, Tinoisamoa choose the Bears late last week based heavily on his familiarity with Lovie Smith and the Cover-Two defense. During Tinoisamoa’s rookie season he started at strong side linebacker for then defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and linebacker coach Bob Babich.
The roles will be much the same here in Chicago and Pisa will come in to compete and most likely win the strong side job from incumbents Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach.
Tinoisamoa will represent the only significant addition – outside of draft picks – made to improve a defense that finished 21st in the NFL last season in yards against. The result is a brighter than normal spotlight for a player who will likely only be on the field for 50% of the Bears defensive snaps this year.
And while adding Pisa is a low risk move, it doesn’t come without concern.
Tinoisamoa spent much of the ’06 and ’07 seasons on injured reserved and hasn’t played the strong side position since that rookie season.
His presence will also likely force the Bears to decide between Hillenmeyer and Roach for one of the final roster spots. While Roach is the bigger contributor on special teams and a more logical back-up, losing Hillenmeyer would leave the Bears without a proven alternative to Brian Urlacher should anything happen to the middle linebacker.
If Tinoisamoa is unable to make a noticeable impact that puts the entire focus on the defensive coaching staff to improve on last year’s performance. That’s the kind of attention you can be sure Lovie Smith and Co. would like to avoid.
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