With 10 sacks and growing leadership, Chargers OLB Tuli Tuipulotu elevating all aspects of his game

EL SEGUNDO Calif AP Tuli Tuipulotu leads the Los Angeles Chargers with sacks and tackles for loss Those are not the only areas where Tuipulotu is guiding the Chargers with their emerging star outside linebacker becoming more peaceful expressing himself in his third season Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter declared Tuipulotu spoke to the defense prior to their - win over the Las Vegas Raiders stressing the need to come out with the right mindset following an ugly loss in Jacksonville on Nov before their bye week Tuipulotu then led the way with two sacks and four tackles for loss as the Chargers - allowed a season-low total yards And when you speak that and then you go out and play the way he played that s pretty cool and that earns yourself a lot of respect which he already has Minter explained Tuipulotu played his first NFL championship seven days after his st birthday in but he joined a position group that already had premier players in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa Tuipulotu deferred to the veterans and wouldn t even refer to them by their first names as a rookie His mind was churning but the words weren t coming out yet Mack noted Tuipulotu was content to focus on learning from the two proven edge defenders That approach had already helped set up the Lawndale California native for success in high school and again in college at Southern California His older brother Marlon Tuipulotu was a standout defensive tackle for the Trojans Cousin Talanoa Hufanga was an All-America safety at USC and the Pac- defensive performer of the year in Following their examples gave Tuli Tuipulotu an understanding of everything it took to excel and he joined Hufanga as the Pac- s top defender in and was a unanimous All-American that season Drafted in the second round by the Chargers with the th overall pick in April Tuipulotu already had an understanding of what was coming Marlon had two years of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles the Chargers opponent on Monday night Hufanga had just earned All-Pro honors in his second year in San Francisco Coincidentally both are now playing in the AFC West for the Chargers divisional foes as Marlon is with Kansas City and Hufanga in Denver They just paved the way Tuli Tuipulotu explained They made things a lot easier for me just because I know what the process is I knew what the process was going into college because of them I know the process was going into the NFL because of them Tuipulotu has been able to take the processes and experiences of family and teammates including Mack and Bosa to adapt and elevate in his own procedures Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh raves about Tuipulotu s fitness regiment Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer was caught by surprise when he in recent months came in for a medication session and saw Tuipulotu already out on the field in cleats at a m Minter praised the detailed notes Tuipulotu takes and the questions he asks in meetings It s a process to be a good member Minter explained And that word gets thrown around a lot but for Tuli it s truly like everything he does leads to how he plays on challenge day The carryover has been particularly evident of late as Tuipulotu has had five sacks and nine tackles for loss in his past five games He has helped the Chargers confront the departure of Bosa who was cut in the offseason for salary cap reasons both coming off the edge in base personnel and lining up inside in specialty packages Salyer who has played guard and tackle for the Chargers announced Tuipulotu s mix of physical tools and approach to the position exacerbates the mismatch between a natural pass rusher and interior offensive linemen that already exists in obvious throwing situations I mean Tuli is a participant that really takes advantage of bad technique Salyer stated He s a lot stronger than he looks and he just plays really hard He plays the meeting harder than the bulk guys really do so if you take a play off he s gonna take advantage of that If you take a bad set he s gonna take advantage of that Minter sees the expanded versatility of Tuipulotu s pass rush identity as another indicator of him reaching a new level And when you re like a dominant athlete and you play with the physicality that he plays with and the relentless motor that he plays with it s almost like Hey put me wherever Try and get me a one-on-one and I can win And I think he s got that mindset which is awesome to have Minter noted Putting all those things together Tuipulotu has already surged past his previous career highs of sacks and tackles for loss in with five games remaining The Chargers won t put any limits on what he can accomplish this season or going forward I invariably say the sky s the limit for Tuli man Mack mentioned I m not expecting him to just stop at and I ll just leave it at that AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source