FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Oscar Lua dreams of playing linebacker for the New England Patriots, right next to his idol, Junior Seau.
For that to come true, two things have to happen. First, Lua, a seventh-round draft pick out of USC, has to make the roster. Second, Seau has to decide to return for an 18th NFL season.
Seau, 38, ended a brief retirement to sign as a free agent with the Patriots last August. He started 10 of the first 11 games before a broken arm ended his season.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Saturday that Seau would re-sign with the Patriots this week, pending a physical. On Sunday, coach Bill Belichick declined to comment on Seau’s status, saying, “I’ll talk about the players that are here.”
Seau’s nameplate is still above his locker, and Lua sounded optimistic about meeting the former Trojan. Seau was an All-American at USC in 1989, when Lua was 5 years old.
“I loved Junior Seau,” Lua said. “I’ve always been a big fan of his. He’s been a great guy to look up to. Knowing that he’s a couple of steps away my locker now is really amazing. My game and his game are completely different at this point. I’m starting at the bottom; he’s already an established, future Hall of Fame linebacker.”
The Patriots beefed up their linebacking corps in the off-season by signing free agent Adalius Thomas from Baltimore. He is expected to join Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Rosevelt Colvin in the starting lineup.
“I can’t even compare myself to these (veteran) guys at this point,” Lua said. “They’ve been in the NFL for years, and I can only hope to stay here this one year. I’m surrounded by a bunch of great linebackers that I have to compete against. Coming from USC, that’s always been a motto: Compete.”
Lua (6-1, 240 pounds) won two national championships at USC. He was the Trojans’ leading tackler in 2005 as USC was runner-up to Texas. He didn’t start in 2006.
“I think Oscar is a physical kid,” Belichick said. “Hes tough. I thought he did a good job playing in the running game. Hes strong. Hes physical. He has some experience in pass coverage. They run a good system out there and he’s had a lot of exposure to a number of things that we do. I know there’s a difference, but he did it at a good, competitive level at USC.”
Lua said he and his fellow rookies are “just scratching the surface” at this weekend’s rookie minicamp. The team has a full-squad camp scheduled for June. By then, Lua and Seau could be on the field together.
“He had a pretty tough injury, but he’s a tough guy,” Lua said. “I think he’ll be back. If not, that would be a terrible loss, not only for my learning experience but for the team. He’s an outstanding player and a leader, so I would really love the chance to play with him. But his decision is in his hands.”
AP-ES-05-13-07 1446EDT
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