LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Back in the same defensive system he excelled in as a rookie with the St. Louis Rams six years ago, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is making a smooth transition with the Bears.

The recently-signed free agent has been reunited with Lovie Smith and Bob Babich, two coaches Tinoisamoa worked with in St. Louis in 2003 when he became the first rookie to lead the Rams in tackles.

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa watches the action at Thursday's OTA practice.

“It’s been extremely easy,” Tinoisamoa said. “They ingrained in me some great principles. At first it was kind of hard because I was with a different system [in St. Louis last year]. But coming back, the language is familiar. It’s starting to come back to me, what they used to yell at me when I was a rookie in ’03.”

Participating in OTA practices Monday through Thursday with the Bears this week, Tinoisamoa displayed the same speed and quickness that helped him register 121 tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles as a Rams rookie.

“No. 1, he is a veteran,” Babich said. “He’s played a lot of games in this league. He understands what it takes to win football games. He plays with a great mentality as far as effort and attitude, so we really like that. I coached him for one year, so I’m familiar with him and I think he’s going to fit in with the crew really well.”

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.

The 6-1, 225-pounder topped the Rams with 135 tackles last season, but he was released May 8 presumably because he didn’t fit into new St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive scheme.

Reiterating what he told ChicagoBears.com after agreeing to a one-year deal last Friday, Tinoisamoa explained to reporters during OTAs that he joined the Bears primarily because he felt the team could win.

“I want to get back to that,” said Tinoisamoa, who was part of Rams teams that went 3-13 in 2007 and 2-14 in 2008. “I feel like I’ve been putting in so much work for so long. I feel like I deserve a good chance to win and a good chance at the championship.”

In OTAs this week, Tinoisamoa worked with the No. 2 defense at strongside linebacker behind Nick Roach. The Hawaii product signed with the Bears even though he wasn’t guaranteed a starting job.

“Just the chance to be on a winning team is worth it to me,” Tinoisamoa said. “I’ve been fortunate to get paid in this league and that was good, but I still had to go home a loser. I’d give all the money back if I could win again.”

The 27-year-old, who was also being pursued by the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots before they signed Paris Lenon, relishes the chance to compete for a position on a veteran defense in Chicago.

“I like the fact that I have to earn a job here,” Tinoisamoa said. “There was an opportunity to go to other teams, but it was like, ‘We’re going to give you the job.’ For me, that was awkward because I know there were guys who had been working since the end of last season, coming into this year and all the time they put in, and they felt like they were the starter, and all of a sudden somebody comes in and because he led another team in tackles and takes their job?

“I wouldn’t appreciate that. So I didn’t want to go into a situation like that, and the fact that I have to come and earn a job, it definitely makes me more hungry because now I know I have to earn my job, it’s not just given to me.”