Pisa Tinoisamoa speaks on release

[eldfan]

BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/09/2009

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa bid a gracious adieu to the Rams after being released Friday.

"I really like the direction they're going," he said. "Because the team wasn't winning, you knew this year was going to be different, and a lot of faces would be different. I didn't really honestly think it would involve me. But the change is here, it's come, and I think it's a good change. If something isn't working, you've got to figure things out."

Tinoisamoa, 27, led the Rams in tackles in four of his six seasons but didn't fit the mold of coach Steve Spagnuolo, who prefers bigger linebackers. Neither Spagnuolo nor general manager Billy Devaney was available for comment Friday, though Spagnuolo said in a statement, "This was a difficult decision based on a lot of factors. I have a great deal of respect for Pisa and wish him all the best." MORE RAMS


Chief among those factors was size. Tinoisamoa was listed at 240 pounds but played at 220 last year. When the Rams announced that Will Witherspoon would move to the weak side and Chris Draft to the middle, the only spot remaining was on the strong side, which requires an even beefier guy who frequently mucks with tight ends. The addition of James Laurinaitis in the second round of the draft further complicated Tinoisamoa's situation.

"They thought I was too good to be a backup," Tinoisamoa said. "I'm getting paid too much to be a backup. They had brought that up earlier in the week, so (being released) wasn't a total surprise."

Tinoisamoa's release frees up about $2.25 million in cap space but leaves the linebacking corps thin. Draft probably will fill the hole on the strong side, leaving Quinton Culberson as the only experienced reserve. Culberson started the first three games of 2008 on the strong side but was replaced by Draft and finished the season with 54 tackles.

The rest of the group lacks seasoning. David Vobora, Mr. Irrelevant of the 2008 draft, had nine tackles last year. Chris Chamberlain, another seventh-rounder, had two tackles. Larry Grant contributed five tackles on special teams. Tinoisamoa said he spent last weekend's minicamp rotating as a backup with the group.

"I thought I did decent. It was a new position, but I didn't think it was anything that was going to be unrealistic or unattainable," he said. "But when you see a rotation, you know there was something that just wasn't solidified yet, and that made me uneasy. I thought that I had a good chance of making this team, so the timing kind of hit me out of the blue."

A second-round pick out of Hawaii in 2003, Tinoisamoa became the first rookie to lead the team in tackles, with 121. He led the team in tackles the following two seasons and was named a team captain in 2004.

Tinoisamoa signed a $24.7 million contract extension after five games of 2006 that locked him up through 2011. About that time, though, he suffered a series of injuries to a hand, elbow, shoulder, ankle and knee that forced him to miss 12 games in 2006 and 2007. He started every game last year, though, and again led the team in tackles, with 135.

"It was a great moment in my life, coming into a team and making the playoffs my first two seasons," he said. "The past couple years haven't been the best, but I've always tried to get back to that level of success as a team. My attitude never changed, and I always strove to be the best."

[Azul e Oro]

A classy goodbye. We may have needed to upgrade his football value but his attitude was exemplary to the end.

[Aussie Dave]

yeah he's a really good guy, i hope he has success wherever he goes.

[Keenum]

Very classy words by Pisa, I wish him the absolute best wherever he goes. He's been good for us, with his only flaw being not being able to stay healthy.
Somebody who needs an outslide linebacker will be very pleased to pick up Pisa.

[rampower]

Total respect for somebody who always gave 100%.

[evil disco man]

He stayed classy 'til the end. The bottom line is that he had no future with the new St. Louis Rams. Say what you want about him leading the team in tackles for however many years, but Witherspoon took over his spot and Hawaii 5-O would've been a career backup for the Rams. At age 27, Pisa still has plenty of potential if he can find the right system/team to fight for a starting job. I'll be rooting for him.

[Mooselini]

He's such a good man. I'm so sad to see him go. Such a hard worker, gave it 110% every time. I'm going to miss that attitude.

I hope he finds a new home QUICK.

[GROUND DOG 39]

After the initial shock most Ram fans are now coming round to the release.
Their was no other way for a rebuilding franchise to accomadate that contract, coupled with the mediocre play, and him not fitting the regimes blueprint for success. Here`s hoping for a bigger, better LB.
It probably wont be this year before we find a true replacment. Lets keep everything crossed just in case.

The front office have ity all to do now?

[BarronWade]

Like Torry Holt, Pisa is a very classy guy. I wasn't shocked because i knew that Pisa was not going to be on the Roster come pre-season. I thought we were going to trade him in the 09 draft or around this time trade him for a 2010 pick but we released him.


I seriously feel bad for Pisa look at all the good FA that are left when it comes to OLB there is still Marcus Washington, Derrek Brooks, Jamie Winborn, Donnie Edwards left. When it comes to MLb Parris Lenon and Teddy Lehmen are still there.

So Pisa probably will not be getting a job anytime soon.

[mikhal5569]

Farewell Pisa. You will be missed.

[TekeRam]

He's always been great on the field and off, and if I had to pick a favorite player to meet up with after the game, it would be Pisa. Of the two games I've gone to, he's come out the side door that I wait by each time. Always with his large family, who are great people too. He's super friendly and willing to sign for as many people as want him to.

I'm very sorry to see him go, because he was one of our best tacklers, but hopefully he'll find himself in a better position because of it. The more I think about it, the more I hope that he gets to go to Indy. They always need linebackers, and he absolutely fits their mold for what they want LB's to be. He's not going to be a cheap as a rookie, but he's ten times the ability too. I think it'd be a perfect match.

[jkramsfan]

in a time when teams are looking for quality guys on and off the field they have in the past couple of seasons releashed 4 of the best you will find,Bruce,Pace,Holt and Pisa were great guys on and off the field,and when they left they left with the same class they had when they were members of the Rams.I would say this is a great example of how money has taken over this game because I do understand that they were sent packing because of there big contracts but it still sucks the way these things end up.Good luck to Pisa and the rest of this group.

[39thebeast]

I could see him beeing a key starter for a team like the Colts. They need LB help and a capable starter next to Brackett. It is the only Cover 2 team left and they are always contenders with Peyton Manning. That would be the ideal landing spot for him IMO

[LA Rammer]

Straight out of the newswire:

Pisa the Pat?

Turfshowtimes_tiny by VanRam on May 9, 2009 9:23 AM CDT

Man, turn-about is a strange mistress...or something like that. Not even 24 hours after his release from the Rams, there are reports that LB Pisa Tinoisamoa is on the radar for the New England Patriots.

[LA Rammer]

Pisa the Pat?

Okay now I'm feeling sick