Lofa Tatupu considered retiring before joining Atlanta Falcons

When the Seahawks released Lofa Tatupu last year and he saw that no teams were calling for him, he contemplated retiring. He slowly stopped working out, but a call from the Atlanta Falcons changed that for him.

In March of this year, Tatupu signed a two-year, $3.6 million deal with the opportunity to start at middle linebacker. Falcons are hoping that he will be able to get back in the swing of things immediately considering they lost Curtis Lofton to the Saints during offseason.

"I'm excited about the whole process and just being back playing ball again," Tatupu, 29, told The Boston Globe in Sunday's edition. "You've got to knock a little rust off, but for the most part it's second nature, especially as a middle linebacker. You're supposed to know what everybody is doing. You're supposed to be the field general. From that standpoint, I really wasn't taken aback by it. I just come in and do what I do."

Tatupu will have to beat out Akeem Dent for the starting position, which he shouldn't have a problem doing with his experience. Lofa was a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Seahawks so he's a veteran, whereas Dent still has a lot of learning to do.

All that being said, it's a good thing that the Falcons are adding all of these veterans to the roster. That can only help this team to get past their biggest problem....the playoffs. You should see immediate impact from these guys and it will elevate the game from everyone around them.