Legendary Former Rams LB Explains Impact of Junior Seau on His Play

How the Hall of Famer affected the next generation.

Jan 20, 2007; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau (55) holds up the Lamar Hunt Trophy after defeating the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

A St. Louis Rams-era mainstay in the 2000s, now-retired linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa revealed during a conversation with D'Marco Farr of the Rams "Rams Iconic" video interview series that now-departed Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau was more than just an idol and a major influence on his game — he was a colleague.

"People say, 'Oh, Pisa's got good instincts.' I view myself as a hunter, right?" Tinoisamoa said. "But yeah definitely, Junior... I was trying that because, think about it. As a kid, you're watching football on TV. Then after football's done, you go outside and you play football. You emulate who you want to be and so Junior was such a huge influence on my life. He did it, there's probably something I should be doing that's very similar."

"He's the OG from the neighborhood, so he'd have me come to his events," Tinoisamoa revealed. "I knew him very well because we grew up in the same church and our families were close, [I] just think the world of him."

Both Seau and Tinoisamoa hail from Oceanside, in San Diego County. Following an All-American career at USC, Seau blossomed into a nine-time All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowler as one of the best defenders of his generation while with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots from 1990-2009. For his efforts, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound superstar was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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