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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Seahawks (External Link) • Stats (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Lofa Tatupu: The Seahawks' very own closer From an expensive dinner with Deon Grant to a seaplane ride with Patrick Kerney, linebacker Lofa Tatupu played a pivotal role in recruiting both free agents to the team By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer Lofa Tatupu had him at jello. Actually, it was probably the 24-ounce porterhouse or the New York-style cheesecake that's served at Daniel's Broiler in Bellevue. Sometime between dinner and dessert, the young linebacker with the comforting smile and the easy conversational style won Deon Grant over with just a few words. After only a few minutes with Tatupu, Grant was ready to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. "He told me what he liked about my game, and told me some other things that I needed to hear," Grant said of his free-agent visit to Seattle, which included a stop at the five-star restaurant at the Bellevue Hyatt. "There were words that I can't disclose, but the things he said were a tremendous factor in me coming here. "For a second-year guy saying the things he said, that was awesome." Tatupu has that way about him. If you don't believe Grant, just talk to defensive end Patrick Kerney, the Seahawks' other high-priced free agent brought in from the outside last spring. Kerney also had a pivotal conversation with Tatupu, although this one happened at 800 feet. "We were actually flying in (owner) Paul Allen's seaplane," Kerney said, recalling the time he met Tatupu last March. "You have to admire the passion he has for the game." After another outstanding performance in Sunday's win over Philadelphia, Tatupu now leads the team with 90 tackles and has a career-high four interceptions. Just as important, he has two key assists. Tatupu was a key ingredient in bringing Grant, a safety, and Kerney to Seattle. While both players had plenty of financial incentive to join the Seahawks, their independent conversations with Tatupu talked just as loud as the money. "That's the heart of your defense," Kerney said, nine months after joining Tatupu, assistant coach Jim Mora and two friends on the team owner's seaplane. "Meeting him and knowing about him was really big. He's a guy who gets along with a lot of people." And the two-time Pro Bowler doesn't mind spreading the Seahawks gospel. Team president Tim Ruskell said that the Seahawks don't push Tatupu to talk to potential free agents; rather, the third-year player does it on his own. "He's taken an active interest in the football team and who we're bringing in," Ruskell said. While money is an obvious incentive for free agents -- Grant and Kerney both signed six-year deals that could be worth, respectively, $30 million and $39.5 million -- Ruskell said that interaction with future teammates goes a lot further than one might expect. "It's probably the No. 1 thing for a lot of guys," Ruskell said. "No matter where you're going to go on your visits, the money's about the same -- or close, anyway. So for a lot of guys, talking to players and getting a feel for a team's chemistry and the locker room, that goes a long way." When it comes to selling the Seahawks to others, Tatupu is the perfect man for the job. "His passion comes through when you talk to the guy for five minutes," Ruskell said. "He wants like-minded individuals around him, guys that love the game and love to put on the uniform as much as he does." By all accounts, Grant and Kerney fit that mold. And the young linebacker's persuasive skills helped steer them to the Pacific Northwest. "Lofa was the person that said the right things to bring me here," said Grant, adding that he also had offers from New Orleans and New York as well as an opportunity to return to the Jacksonville Jaguars. "What he said was real big. He's doing what he said he would do when I came here." But what exactly was it that Tatupu said? Ask Grant, and the safety will just shake his head from side to side while pursing his lips. "I can't tell you the words," Grant said after Sunday's win over Philadelphia, "but the way he said it was real key." Even more important, it turns out, than the cheesecake.

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