LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Participating in his first OTA practice with the Bears Monday, Pisa Tinoisamoa appeared to be as excited as a kid modeling his little league uniform for the first time.

At one point the veteran linebacker removed his helmet, held it front of his face and smiled as he glanced at the “C.” It was as if he wanted to make sure that signing with the Bears on Friday wasn’t a dream.

“This is a great place to be,” Tinoisamoa said following the workout. “It’s beautiful. The working environment here is conductive to my growth as a football player, and I really mean it. Coming here and experiencing this is great for me.”

Pisa Tinoisamoa holds out his Bears helmet to get a glance of the "C" during Monday's OTA practice.

The scenario was much bleaker in St. Louis, where Tinoisamoa was part of Rams teams that stumbled to records of 3-13 in 2007 and 2-14 in 2008.

“There’s just a certain cloud that hangs over you when you’re there,” Tinoisamoa said. “All I did was go to work every day and work hard. That’s all I could do, and unfortunately that wasn’t enough.

“I grew up in San Diego and went to school in Hawaii, so I need some sun my life. Coming here, the feel is different. Not that I wasn’t myself back there [in St. Louis], it just was hard to be free and loose. Everybody was tight. Nobody could say anything because we were losing.”

Tinoisamoa spent his first six NFL seasons with the Rams after being selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2003 draft, eight spots after the Bears chose cornerback Charles Tillman.

Playing for Lovie Smith and Bob Babich in St. Louis in 2003, Tinoisamoa became the first rookie to lead the Rams in tackles with 121. He also had four interceptions and four forced fumbles.

The 6-1, 240-pounder again topped the Rams with 135 tackles last season, but he was released presumably because he didn’t fit into new St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive scheme.

Tinoisamoa visited the Bears May 20, speaking with coaches and watching the team’s OTA practice. A bit apprehensive at first, he was relieved to be greeted warmly by fellow linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

“I wasn’t really sure how I’d be embraced, but they’ve been totally cool,” Tinoisamoa said. “I’m familiar with Lance—we came out [of college] the same year—but Brian, when I came to my visit he said [hello] to me and he knew my name, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s Brian Urlacher. He called me by my first name.’”

Joining a linebacking crew that’s led by two Pro Bowlers will force Tinoisamoa to try to keep up.

“That will raise the bar for me,” he said. “Now I know that my performance has to be on par with those guys. That’s what I’ve got to shoot for. Before I was trying to raise the bar on a team that was mediocre. But now I’ve got some mentors that I can look up to and know that’s the level that we’ve got to play at.”

The Bears have made no promises to Tinoisamoa; only that he will get a chance to battle for the strongside position.

“I’m here to compete,” he said. “I’m here to give some production wherever they need it—special teams, linebacker—wherever they need it, they’ve got me.”

After excelling as a Rams rookie, Tinoisamoa is excited about the opportunity to play for Smith again.

“There’s definitely some familiarity,” he said. “But I only got one year with Lovie and then he was [hired as Bears coach in 2004]. And then we tried to [continue to] run it, but he knew it like the back of his hand. So it was kind of hard for other people to run something they don’t know as well.

“Right now I’m trying to get the principles down. But [coach Smith] said to run to the ball, and I can do that very well. So right now that’s what I’ll do and slowly pick up and get re-familiarized with the other stuff.”