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Bears Interested in LB Lofa Tatupy
Source: Bears eye Lofa Tatupu
By Jeff Dickerson
ESPNChicago.com
Archive
There is a mutual interest between the Chicago Bears and free agent linebacker Lofa Tatupu, according to a league source.
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Tatupu, who was released by the Seattle Seahawks over the weekend, has visited the Oakland Raiders and has a meeting planned with the Washington Redskins.
Tatupu has a strong Bears connection. Assistant general manager Tim Ruskell drafted Tatupu out of USC in 2005 when Ruskell was the general manager of the Seahawks. It's uncertain where Tatupu, who was a middle linebacker during his six-year career with the Seahawks, would potentially fit with the Bears, who have Brian Urlacher firmly entrenched in the position.
Tatupu met with coach Pete Carroll on Saturday night and asked for his release after the Seahawks asked him to take a pay cut, ESPN sources said. Tatupu was then cut by Seattle on Sunday morning.
Tatupu, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler and played a major role in taking the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance during his rookie season in 2005.
But he struggled with injuries the past few seasons and has seen a decline in production. He missed most of 2009 after tearing a pectoral muscle. Last season he played in all 16 games, but his 88 tackles were the lowest of his career in a full season, and he needed surgery on both knees in the offseason. Tatupu's prime was his first few seasons when he recorded more than 100 tackles and went to the Pro Bowl each year between 2005-07.
Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.
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Tatupu has played MLB and as JD said on the radio today, if you can play the middle you can play SLB.
The fact that his knees were recently worked on would limit me to a reasonable couple year deal and if he proves his health he would be a nice replacement for Urlacher when he retires.
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Well, both he and Hayden are visiting the Skins tomorrow, so we better move fast if we want him.
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Originally Posted by
lklrlolnlilklsox 
Well, both he and Hayden are visiting the Skins tomorrow, so we better move fast if we want him.
Skins signed Grossman today they're going to need at least a week to recover from that revelation! 
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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I just get nervous when any player we want visits the Skins because Snyder hands out retarded contracts that agents drool over.
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Jerry Angelo likes players who stay injured.
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 Jerry Angelo likes players who stay injured.
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Guys my concern is that Lofa Tatupu doesn't have the speed to play in this defense anymore. I've said this before and I may be wrong but it's a legit concern. If he can't cover and we use a nickel package with just Briggsy and Urlacher he's a two down guy and we'd be paying a lot of money for a two down guy if that's the case. If he has got the wheels to play SBL great because he won't move Urlacher from MLB.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Junior Member
Originally Posted by
soulman:831356 Guys my concern is that Lofa Tatupu doesn't have the speed to play in this defense anymore. I've said this before and I may be wrong but it's a legit concern. If he can't cover and we use a nickel package with just Briggsy and Urlacher he's a two down guy and we'd be paying a lot of money for a two down guy if that's the case. If he has got the wheels to play SBL great because he won't move Urlacher from MLB.
Lofa may have lost a step but to say that he is too slow for this defense... Im going to have to disagree. It wasn't too long ago that Hunter Hillenmeyer was our outside linebacker. Hillenmeyer was the slowest linebacker that I can think of in recent history. If you can get Tatupu for a bargain he would fill a position and give the Bears a good replacement should Urlacher or Briggs go down with an injury, and with Urlacher and Briggs being over 30 perhaps a solid step in should one of them retire. That's thinking a few years down. Either way I like Tatupu over Roach for sure.
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he is better than Roach or Pisa --> sign him
Briggs - Urlacher - Tatupu
good depth, I have my doubts but better than play against him
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