ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Louis Rams rookie starting linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa talked with reporters at Rams Park in St. Louis on Wednesday. Tinoisamoa's nickname is Hawaii 5-0.
Tinoisamoa enjoys
wearing No. 50The St. Louis Rams saved
the jersey number for the UH
alum who is "so doggone fast"
ST. LOUIS >> The St. Louis Rams' second-round pick has such a mouthful of a last name that a good nickname, Hawaii 5-0, was inevitable.
Pisa Tinoisamoa, a UH alumnus who was so dubbed on the opening day of training camp, has a game to match. He was named a starting linebacker before the preseason, and he terrorized the San Francisco 49ers with 14 tackles last week in an overtime victory.
"He played like a madman," coach Mike Martz said. "He's all over the place. He's so doggone fast, you just get mesmerized watching him play."
Tinoisamoa was so impressive against the 49ers that the game telecast featured a couple of snippets of the theme song from the 1970s island detective show starring Jack Lord. It was a natural, considering he wears No. 50 and played at the University of Hawaii.
Equipment manager Todd Hewitt jumped on that angle this spring, saving that number for the Rams' only rookie starter.
"We've got a creative team in the equipment room and Todd, he's the one who thought of it," Tinoisamoa said. "He said, 'Here, you're Hawaii 5-0,' and it's just started spreading since then."
Tinoisamoa hasn't actually seen the show. He's too young.
"But I've heard the music," he said. "I think everyone has heard the music, regardless of age."
Tinoisamoa also had a big game against the New York Giants in the opener with a forced fumble, seven tackles and two passes defensed. The fumble was recovered by teammate Jerametrius Butler to snuff the Giants' second drive of the game.
Tinoisamoa is extremely fast for a linebacker and that speed helps him overcome the inevitable errors that come with being a rookie. Martz also loves his enthusiasm for the game.
"He's made plenty of mistakes and he'll tell you that, too," Martz said. "Just like anything else, when you play with great passion and you're physical and you fly around and never stop, good things will happen.
"He'll get better and better and better and better."
Tinoisamoa, who's second on the team in tackles behind middle linebacker Robert Thomas, continues his on-the-job training Sunday at Seattle.
"There's a lot of times I'm out of position," Tinoisamoa said. "But because I have the speed and instincts it allows me to get to the ball, or where I need to be.
"The more experience I get, the better I'll get."
Tinoisamoa has had a lot more impact in the early going than Jimmy Kennedy, the team's first-round pick. Kennedy was a healthy scratch for the opener and missed the 49ers game with an infected elbow from a turf burn.
He would have been inactive regardless in Week 2 because he's not progressed as quickly as the team would have hoped.
This week, Martz said Kennedy has a chance to contribute. A couple of weeks on the bench definitely has helped the motivation.
"He's come light years just in the last three weeks," Martz said. "I think what happens to some of these guys, you see what it's about and how much fun everybody is having and how this game can be.
"You get excited about getting back as fast as you can."
