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LB Coach James Laurinaitis (2x B1G DPOY, 2006 Nagurski, 2007 Butkus, 2008 Lott, 3x All-American, OSU HOF)

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St. Louis Rams' Laurinaitis is always looking for ways to improve
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/24/2009

At his current pace, James Laurinaitis would finish his rookie season with 192 tackles ? one short of the Rams record established by fellow middle linebacker London Fletcher nine years ago.

Laurinaitis, a second-round draft pick, debuted with 14 stops at Seattle, then added 10 more Sunday at Washington. He's the Rams' top tackler and among the league leaders.

If Laurinaitis is impressed with his fast start, he isn't showing it. When he watches film, he said, he skips over his highlights and searches instead for his miscues.

"I like to watch the not-so-good plays and look for things I can improve," Laurinaitis said. "I've been that way my whole life. It didn't matter if it was at Ohio State or at Wayzata High School (in Plymouth, Minn.). Every game, I always went up to my coach and said, 'All right, what do I need to improve? What do I need to understand better?'"

The idea, he explained, is to achieve perfection ? even though he knows that's unattainable.

"You can't expect to play in this league and go through a game with no missed tackles on your defense," Laurinaitis said. "But I think it's just that constant awareness of, 'Hey, don't try to be perfect, but still aim for it.'

"If you don't, (mistakes) become acceptable. And you can't let them be acceptable."
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St. Louis Rams' Laurinaitis is always looking for ways to improve - STLtoday.com
 
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Posted: Thursday September 24, 2009
Don Banks Don Banks >
INSIDE THE NFL

Difference-makers: Ten surprising people who've had early impact


7. St. Louis middle linebacker James Laurinaitis

It took about 30 seconds for Laurinaitis to win the starting middle linebacker job in training camp, and the second-round pick from Ohio State has taken charge ever since. Not only does Laurinaitis rank fourth in the NFL with 22 tackles, but also he never comes off the field and he makes the defensive calls for the Rams, which is a pretty big dose of responsibility for a rookie in a St. Louis defense that's overseen by head coach and former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

What Laurinaitis might lack in terms of overwhelming athleticism he makes up for with great instincts, superb preparation and a fierce competitiveness. He made 14 tackles (10 solo) in his first regular season game, a loss at Seattle, and followed that with eight more tackles (six solo) in the Rams' 9-7 loss at Washington. He's on a pace for 192 tackles this season, which is just one shy of London Fletcher's team record of 193 in 2000.
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Read more: Johnny Knox, Elvis Dumervil, Michael Huff have early NFL impact - Don Banks - SI.com
 
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Re: MLB James Laurinaitis was credited with a game-high nine tackles in the unofficial press-box stats, although he was beaten by TE Vernon Davis for a TD.

When the team gets beat 35-0, Laurinaitis wasn't the only Cardinal defender beaten for a TD. :biggrin:
 
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ScriptOhio;1558519; said:
Re: MLB James Laurinaitis was credited with a game-high nine tackles in the unofficial press-box stats, although he was beaten by TE Vernon Davis for a TD.

When the team gets beat 35-0, Laurinaitis wasn't the only Cardinal defender beaten for a TD. :biggrin:
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JL had good coverage on that play, just a perfect throw by Shaun Hill.

There were three defensive/special teams TDs for the Niners, by the way. The Rams defense really didn't play that bad. Score was misleading.
 
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ScriptOhio;1558519; said:
Re: MLB James Laurinaitis was credited with a game-high nine tackles in the unofficial press-box stats, although he was beaten by TE Vernon Davis for a TD.

When the team gets beat 35-0, Laurinaitis wasn't the only Cardinal defender beaten for a TD. :biggrin:
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Fungo Squiggly;1558549; said:
They aren't the St. Louis Cardinals anymore? :huh:
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BB73;1558554; said:
Give him a break - he knew the Cardinals left Chicago.
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It will come as no surprise to any of you that I'm also predicting an all New York World Series, i.e. Yankees vs (Brooklyn) Dodgers. :2004:
 
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Rams' James Laurinaitis excited to play against his hometown Vikings
By Rick Alonzo
[email protected]
Updated: 10/07/2009

St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis grew up in Minnesota rooting for the Vikings, so he wasn't exactly a big fan of Brett Favre.

He laughed today when asked whether he despised Favre as a kid.

"He's one of those guys where if he's on your team you love him but if he's on the other team, you just can't stand him because you know you want your guy to be like that," Laurinaitis said today during a conference call with reporters. "When I was growing up, you didn't like him when he was slinging that thing around on Lambeau Field. I always had a respect for him and the way he played the game."

Laurinaitis, who played at Wayzata High School before starring at Ohio State, is excited to play Sunday against Favre, though. He's the starting middle linebacker for the Rams as a rookie after being drafted in the second round.

"It's definitely going to be pretty cool," he said. "I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be. Growing up as a Vikings fan in Minnesota and watching him in Green Bay twice a year just do his thing, and as an athlete, as a football player, I have a ton of respect for him.

"You sense that when he plays the game of football, he has a passion and a love for the game that you don't see a whole ton across the board. I saw a play where he threw the ball and then the next thing you know he's hustling down the field 20 yards trying to get a block."
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http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_13507228?nclick_check=1

Updated: Wednesday October 7, 2009
Peter King
MONDAY MORNING QB - TUESDAY

MMQB Mail: Handing out awards through NFL season's first quarter

Defensive Rookie Of The Year

1. James Laurinaitis, LB, Rams.
2. Louis Delmas, S, Lions.
3. Jerraud Powers, CB, Colts.

It's not hard to shine on an awful team, and Laurinaitis is going to have to weather a couple of years of stormy weather in St. Louis. But he's been the defensive playcaller since day three of camp, and he's on pace to be the kind of heart-of-the-defense player Barrett Ruud is in Tampa and DeMeco Ryans is in Houston.
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Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/10/06/mail/index.html#ixzz0TJ7zfS0p
 
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Rams rookie LB Laurinaitis excited to face team he grew up watching in Minnesota
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP)

ST. LOUIS ? The telephone has been ringing a lot this week for St. Louis Rams rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis.

That's because the Rams (0-4) are hosting the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) on Sunday. Laurinaitis, a native of Plymouth, Minn., grew up a Vikings fan and everybody back home wants to get his thoughts about the game.

"The fact that I'm from there is the only thing different this week," the six-foot-two, 247-pound Laurinaitis said Friday after practice. "You get a few more phone calls from the family saying, 'Hey, do you know you play the Vikings?' I go, 'Oh really, we do? I must of forgot about that.' "

Other than that, it's business as usual for Laurinaitis, the three-time All-American from Ohio State who won the Nagurski Award as the NCAA's best defensive player as a sophomore and the Butkus Award, as the top linebacker the next year.

"Yeah, I grew up a Vikings fan but that's actually from being from there," Laurinaitis said. "I think as you start getting to college and you realize the possibility of playing in the NFL, all those biases and all that stuff kind of goes out the window a little bit and you start opening your eyes up to all the teams in the league."
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The Canadian Press: Rams rookie LB Laurinaitis excited to face team he grew up watching in Minnesota

Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis one of the few bright spots for Rams
Updated October 9, 2009
By Chip Scoggins
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

MINNEAPOLIS — Like many Minnesotans, James Laurinaitis didn't care much for Brett Favre when Favre wore the Green Bay Packers uniform.

Laurinaitis, a diehard Vikings fan as a kid, respected Favre as a player but rooted against him for so many years.

"If he was on your team you would love him, but if he's on the other team you can't stand him because you know you want your guy to be like that," Laurinaitis said. "It definitely was something that you didn't like him when he was running around at Lambeau Field."

Favre is still running around — albeit in a different uniform — and now Laurinaitis gets his chance to chase the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

The former Wayzata High and Ohio State standout is a starting rookie middle linebacker and one of the few bright spots for the 0-4 St. Louis Rams. Laurinaitis will face Favre and the Vikings in his fifth career game Sunday in St. Louis.

"It's definitely going to be pretty cool," Laurinaitis said. "I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be, growing up as a Vikings fan in Minnesota, obviously watching him in Green Bay twice a year do his thing. I think as an athlete and as a football player, I have a ton of respect for him. You sense that when he plays the game of football he has a passion and love of the game that you don't see a whole ton across the board."

Laurinaitis is winning over Rams fans with his passion and on-field performance. A second-round draft pick (No. 35 overall), Laurinaitis leads the Rams and all NFL rookies with 38 tackles.

In his NFL debut, Laurinaitis collected a team-high 14 tackles and forced and recovered a fumble against Seattle.

"He has done a terrific job for us," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "It's not easy. It's tough, in and of itself, being a rookie in this league and I would add to that being the (middle) linebacker in our system. We ask him to do a lot from the chin to the hairline. He handles it terrifically, and I think the guys trust him."
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http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/oct/09/bc-fbn-ramsms-_-sports-700-words/?sports&nfl
 
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