Patriots place LB Seau on injured reserve

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Junior Seau was lured back to the NFL by Bill Belichick in August after a brief retirement. But the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker didn't make it to December. The New England Patriots on Monday placed Seau on injured reserve, ending his season. Seau suffered a broken right arm after tackling running back Cedric Benson in the second quarter of the Patriots' 17-13 win over Chicago on Sunday. Seau's right arm was dangling as he walked off the field. The Patriots' medical staff immediately put Seau's arm into an air cast. "Junior is a big loss," fellow inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "He is a guy who came in here and picked up the system real well. To see him go down, it hurts the team. He is going to be missed greatly." This is Seau's 17th season and it represented a chance for him to win his first Super Bowl. That is what inspired Seau to sign a one-year deal with the Patriots on August 18, four days after he announced his retirement. The 37-year-old Seau paired with Bruschi in the middle of the team's 3-4 defense and recorded 70 tackles in 11 games. He recorded a season-high 15 tackles in a loss against the New York Jets on November 12. After Seau's injury, the Patriots moved Mike Vrabel from outside linebacker to inside next to Bruschi. Tully Banta-Cain took Vrabel's spot at outside linebacker. Seau played the first 13 years of his career with the San Diego Chargers and is the franchise's best defensive player. He spent the last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who released him last March to save $2.1 million under the salary cap. Last year, Seau played in just seven games before suffering an Achilles tendon injury. In 2004, Seau started eight games for Miami before suffering a torn pectoral muscle. Seau was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 1990s and was named to the Pro Bowl 12 straight years from 1992-2003. After an All-American career at Southern California, Seau was selected by San Diego fifth overall in the 1990 draft.