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

[Buckskin86]

A shared admiration between Rams' James Laurinaitis and his father

KSDK -- Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis grew up admiring his father. Today, John Laurinaitis couldn't be prouder of his son.

John Laurinaitis was known to fans of professional wrestling as "The Animal". He was half of the legendary tag team "The Road Warriors."

Whenever his father would wrestle, he young son James would hurry to the television to watch. "For the most part it was the coolest thing in the world to see dad on tv... I was always the kid jumping up to hit the record button to record his matches," James said.

ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO | A shared admiration between Rams' James Laurinaitis and his father

 

[Buckskin86]

In 2009, then-rookie James Laurinaitis had an immediate impact on the Rams, recording 120 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. But the former Butkus Award-winner?s accomplishments went largely unnoticed due to the team?s 1-15 record.

?When you win one game as a team it?s hard for anybody to stand out,? Laurinaitis said. ?That goes for any position across the board.?

The disappointing season overshadowed an excellent rookie campaign by Laurinaitis, who didn?t receive any votes for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. But with his team?s winning as his primary concern, Laurinaitis is confident that he and his teammates can change the fortune of the Rams.

?A lot of us think that talent-wise we weren?t a 1-15 team,? Laurinaitis said. ?But there?s a lot of guys that are unknown and I think we have a lot of good football players that are working their butts off to get better this offseason.?

Among the ?unknown? players Laurinaitis speaks highly about is Larry Grant.

“I think players at other schools like to imitate the whole ‘The’ Ohio State thing and the kind of bond that we have because they don’t have it at their schools,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s more or less pride about where you went to school and what your teams were able to accomplish. There’s a lot of pride in knowing that your school produces great football players.”

The Lantern - Silver bullet reunion: Rams feature quartet of former Buckeye linebackers

 

[Buckskin86]

Workaholic middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is settling into his second season, and now can focus on refining rather than learning all he had to call the defensive signals as a rookie. Laurinaitis is not someone that enjoys down time.

When asked about Laurinaitis wanting to get back to work almost as soon as the season ended, Spagnuolo said, ?He must have texted me 10 times in that period when they were off saying, ?Is there something I can do? Send me film. What do you need me to do?? I mean, he?s itching to go. He?s everything you see.?

Rams Notebook: Spagnuolo sees progress in team's comfort level | St. Louis Globe-Democrat

 

[Buckskin86]

So to a large degree, any defensive progress made in 2010 must come from returning players getting better.

On that score, Spagnuolo says Laurinaitis sticks out.

"The guy in the middle ? No. 55 ? knows (the defense) 100 times better than he did last year," Spagnuolo said. "And 100 times better than a lot of people that are doing it right now, because he's serious about it and he takes it seriously."

Rams expect better defense - STLtoday.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Linebacker James Laurinaitis, an Ohio State product, believes Nebraska is a natural for the Big Ten.

"The Big Ten has schools in a lot of states where they just love college sports," Laurinaitis said. "You look at Ohio. The Bengals and the Browns, (the fans) are kind of divided, but everyone loves Ohio State. (Pennsylvania), obviously everything there is all about Penn State. And you can say the same thing about Wisconsin. So I think Nebraska definitely fits in there."

Laurinaitis also likes the addition of a 12th team so that the Big Ten can divide into two six-team divisions and have a conference championship game. It will present some challenges, though, he pointed out.

"You would think they'd have to put Ohio State and Michigan in the same (division)," he said. "You can't break up that rivalry. They've got to play each other still every year. ...

"And, where's the title game going to be played?"

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis has been mentioned as a possible site. But as Laurinaitis pointed out, it seats 63,000 ? far fewer than the 100,000-plus-seat stadiums in which Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan play their home games. Still, he welcomes the Cornhuskers.

"They're obviously bringing a lot to the table, and great football," he said. "It'll be cool to see what kind of rivalries come out of that with them."

Rams players discuss college conference realignment - STLtoday.com

 

[Buckskin86]

NFL: The Buckeye Brigade
Rams feature four LBs from Ohio State
July 03, 2010
By RON CLEMENTS
The Telegraph

From left, St. Louis Rams linebackers James Laurinaitis, Na'il Diggs, Larry Grant and Bobby Carpenter at the Rams training facility. They all played college football at Ohio State University.
The Telegraph/JIM BOWLING

ST. LOUIS ? For years, Penn State University has had the reputation of being ?Linebacker U.?

Just don?t tell that to the St. Louis Rams.

In what may be a first in NFL history, the Rams boast four linebackers all from the same university ? and it isn?t Penn State. Bobby Carpenter, Na?il Diggs, Larry Grant and James Laurinaitis all hail from Ohio State University.

?We realize it?s pretty cool,? Laurinaitis said. ?It?s gives us a lot of pride in each other. There?s only one Penn State guy here now, so we get to team up on him a little bit.?

The projected starting lineup includes Laurinaitis flanked by Diggs and Carpenter.

?It?ll be even cooler if we get this thing rolling and get to be on some primetime games and get to say, ?The Ohio State University? three times across the LB corps,? Laurinaitis said. ?It?s a neat deal.?

Laurinaitis said the defense, now in its second year under Spagnuolo and Flajole, is ?leaps and bounds? ahead of where it was last year. Adding a player like Diggs only helps.

?Whenever you have a guy who?s been in the league this long, he adds so much knowledge that you can learn. He?s seen everything,? Laurinaitis said. ?That?s something you can really feed off of. He recognizes run and pass really fast because he?s seen it for 11 years. It?s truly remarkable how long he?s been able to play. After your rookie season, you realize how special it is that guys even reach five years in the NFL. For him to be there in double digits is remarkable and I?m going to squeeze everything out of him that I can.?

NFL: The Buckeye Brigade | brigade, buckeye, louis - Sports - The Telegraph

 

[CentralMOBuck]

I think I'm going to try and get tickets for when the Cards come to town this year.

 

[Florida Buckeye]

I will be cheering for the Rams this season just because of their LB corps! Tressel should be using this big time in recruiting!

 

[smitty03]

Laurinaitis will be getting interviewed on ESPN's "First Take" in the next couple of minutes if anyone is interested.

 

[jwinslow]

Laurinaitis will be getting interviewed on ESPN's "First Take" in the next couple of minutes if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the heads up.

Asked about rookie hazing:

"We take it easy on the whole [Rookie] pranks thing, however they will have to sing. We had to sing songs last year."

"I got up in front of the team the first day of training camp, did an awesome rendition of Keith Sweat - 'Nobody', a little R&B, got the whole team into it."

 

[Buckskin86]

All eyes on the Buckeyes
James' departure from Ohio could enhance the OSU football brand
BY JON SPENCER ? News Journal ? July 10, 2010

LEXINGTON -- It didn't take the big top mercifully (if mind-numbingly) coming down on the LeBron James circus to prove to St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis what he already knew -- that northeast Ohio, north central Ohio and every inch of the state is, first and foremost, Buckeye country.

"I think more of the focus (with or without LeBron in Ohio) is still on the Buckeyes," said Laurinaitis, one of several former or current Ohio State players working the fourth annual All-American Youth Football Camp at Lexington High School on Friday and again today.

"Malcolm (Jenkins, another ex-Buckeye now with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints) and I were just joking around. The only time we come back to Ohio, it's going to be in the fall, back in Columbus, because that's where everything is happening.

"LeBron is going to be big wherever he goes, but Ohio State is a brotherhood, a fraternity, for anyone who has ever gone there, athlete or not. There's still that common bond with the school and the alumni is so big. It's bigger than any pro sports following could be."

Laurinaitis, a Minnesota native, said LeBron's departure reminded him of Kevin Garnett leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves after 12 years via trade to play for the Boston Celtics. Like James' career in Cleveland, Garnett joined the T-wolves right out of high school.

"I'm not really surprised," Laurinaitis said. "The thing I kept thinking about when people played the whole loyalty card was Kevin Garnett. (The T-wolves) kept trying to give him help and it didn't work and he eventually went to Boston and won (a title) there. But the circumstances were different. When he left, people in Minnesota were like, 'Thank you for your time here.' This seems to be a little personal with the folks in Cleveland.

"Heck, I was converted into a Cavs fan because of LeBron James. It's tough. I know it's not easy on him, but professional sports is a business. If you want to be remembered for winning championships, he went to the spot where he felt he could have the best chance to win."

All eyes on the Buckeyes | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal

 

[Buckskin86]

Rams MLB James Laurinaitis ? A second-round pick by the Rams last season, Laurinaitis wasted no time being named the starter at middle linebacker. A quick study with a tremendous work ethic, he finished the season as the team's leading tackler with 120. Laurinaitis had six or more tackles in 10 games and proved to be an extremely tough customer, gutting out shoulder problems down the stretch. He still has some work to do in coverage, but taking into account his 24/7 commitment to improving his game, the odds are good that he will keep getting better and better as a pass defender. Performing in an improved LB corps flanked by fellow Ohio State graduates Na'il Diggs and Bobby Carpenter certainly won't hurt his cause.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Willis tops among NFC West IDPs

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-npiJ2FrhJc]YouTube - Player Spotlight: James Laurinaitis-Year 2[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNqTooLp92Q]YouTube - James Laurinaitis Press Conference[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Rams Report: Buckeye Brigade is more hype than reality
BY KATHLEEN NELSON
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010

Rams linebackers Na'il Diggs and James Laurinaitis downplayed the significance of the plethora of linebackers hailing from Ohio State. So don?t expect them to be sharing Buckeye defensive secrets. They have none to share.

"All of us being from the same school have that same football mentality bred in us. But I'm from a different era," Diggs said. "Even in the pros, the schemes we've all played in are totally different."

Diggs pointed out that he graduated 11 years ago, Bobby Carpenter five years ago, Larry Grant and Laurinaitis in 2009.

"We joke that Na'il played for Woody Hayes back in the day. He doesn't take a liking to it too much," Laurinaitis said. "It's more cool to talk about than any actual impact it could have. We all have a lot of pride in our school. There will be a lot of scarlet and gray in the locker room."

Rams Report: Buckeye Brigade is more hype than reality

 

[WolverineMike]

Bradford signed. I hope this kid isn't a bust or JL and the rest of that buckeye linebacker corp in St Louis are going to be on the field a lot this year.


GO RAMS