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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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Jagdaddy;1803087; said:
Also, the quality of the Rams defense he leads is one of the underreported significant stories in the NFL this year.
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Agreed. I'd actually change underreported to unreported as I haven't heard anyone talk about this, but the Rams D has been solid.

I'll never forget when Carpenter was injured in the TSUN game and JL came in. My observers after that game talked about how well he played, my thoughts were different and I was concerned about him. Boy was I wrong...JL is one heck of a baller.
 
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Former Buckeye James Laurinaitis playing major role in St. Louis Rams success
By James Oldham
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, November 30, 2010

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James Laurinaitis wasn't used to losing. Following his 43-8 career as a middle linebacker at Ohio State, the St. Louis Rams drafted Laurinaitis early in the second round last year.

The Rams finished the season 1-15, the worst record in the NFL.

"It was definitely different. It's crazy frustrating losing that many games," Laurinaitis said. "No one wants to be remembered for going 1-15, but I had the mindset that hopefully I can be a part of the solution and not the problem."

In high school, Laurinaitis excelled in two sports. He was named Minnesota's Defensive Mr. Football at Plymouth Wayzata High, where he recorded 193 tackles his senior year. He was also a star hockey player and was considered to be a second- or third-round pick in the NHL Draft had he chosen the sport.

After committing to the University of Minnesota, Laurinaitis changed his mind when he visited OSU. He loved talking with the coaches and looked forward to learning from standout Buckeye linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter.

Even so, nothing could prepare Laurinaitis for the Buckeye faithful.

"When I first got there, I didn't understand truly the passion that people have for OSU football," Laurinaitis said. "The whole O-H-I-O thing was weird to me."

As a three-year starter at OSU, Laurinaitis racked up 375 tackles. Only six other players have had more. He led the team in tackles from 2006-08, becoming the fourth player in school history to do so for three consecutive years. He was also a two-time captain, an honor he shares with only six other Buckeyes.

Many in the program, including current Buckeye linebacker Ross Homan, saw how hard he worked both in practice and on game day.

"James was an unbelievable competitor on the field," Homan said. "And off the field, he was a huge mentor to me. Watching how he studied film and how he worked out, he's going to be an icon in OSU history for sure."

Co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said Laurinaitis' work ethic made up for what he might have lacked in natural ability.

"He did a good job in our system. The kid was as competitive as they ever come, and he's got a passion for the game of football," Fickell said. "His work ethic, competitiveness, and passion to play football are what you look for in anybody."

Laurinaitis said he misses the sense of community that comes with playing football in college.

"I try to tell people here in St. Louis about the cult that is OSU football," Laurinaitis said. "When you're in (the community), you're just so used to it that you're like, ?These people are all crazy, but in a good way.' Then you miss that community when you leave it."

Laurinaitis missed the OSU community so much when he went to the NFL that he got excited whenever he saw a former Buckeye in St. Louis.

"I remember last year driving down the highway here in St. Louis going to Rams Park and seeing an OSU bumper sticker," Laurinaitis said. "I just wanted to pull up next to them and be like, ?Hey, I went to Ohio State too.'"

Cont....
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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/fo...major-role-in-st-louis-rams-success-1.1812919
 
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Former OSU player defensive leader for Rams
By Tiffany Johnson
Tuesday, December 14, 2010

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ST. LOUIS ? When Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and his staff begin to formulate a defensive game plan for a particular foe, the conversation often goes like this:

"We get together and say, 'Can we do this? Can we do that?'" Spagnuolo said. "And usually we say, 'Well, he can handle it.' . . . And we all know who 'he' is."

"He" is second-year middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, who despite his limited NFL experience has been given free rein to quarterback the defense.

"We put a lot of management responsibilities on him . . . and I think he's just much more comfortable doing that" this season, defensive coordinator Ken Flajole said. "I think he's much more vocal, and he's confident doing so. He gives us a lot of things at his position, and it's a lot of things that maybe the average fan wouldn't recognize."

Things such as . . ....

"It can mean anything from setting the front (four), it can mean anything from putting different stunts on to checking in and out of coverages, out of blitzes," Laurinaitis explained. "There's a lot. And I think it just comes down to being in the rhythm of the game and just kind of knowing what's best."

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http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/s...player-defensive-leader-for-rams-1028992.html
 
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Playing For: St. Louis Rams' Community Outreach Efforts
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How He's in the Game​

When the Rams drafted James Laurinaitis, they knew the type of quality linebacker they were getting, but they had no idea he would become the most active contributor to their community outreach initiatives. During his first season, Laurinaitis donated more of his time than any other member of the team. Examples of his efforts include hosting the annual Celebrity Server Dinner for the Make-A-Wish Foundation which has raised over one million dollars over the past 15 years, and visiting with fans during the ?Taste of the NFL-St. Louis? that raised more than $500,000 for the St. Louis Area Foodbank and St. Louis Sports Commission. He also participated in the March of Dimes Golf Challenge that raised nearly $150,000 to provide care for local babies born prematurely. Aside from fundraising, he enjoys working directly with youth. He joined fellow teammates and hosted a PLAY 60 Challenge event for middle school students, teaching them the importance of being active everyday and focusing on their health and wellness. During the summer, Laurinaitis joined fellow players and coaches and built a playground at a local elementary school, designed to give the kids a safe environment to play.

About James Laurinaitis

As a reward for his talents, James Laurinaitis received both the Nagurski trophy and the Ronnie Lott trophy during his time at Ohio State University. After his stellar collegiate career, Laurinaitis was selected in the 2nd round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He earned a starting spot on the Ram?s roster during his rookie year and was an NFL All-Rookie selection.
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Laurinaitis Disease Strikes The Pacific Northwest
By Jeff Falconio
Story Updated: Dec 31, 2010

When it comes to the NFL Draft it's easy to over-analyze. Most call it paralysis by analysis but on WSW we've given it a medical term: Laurinaitis Disease, as in, Jake Locker has a bad case of Laurinaitis.

At the end of the 2007 season then-Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis was believed to be the best player in college football. Experts said if Laurinaitis declared his eligibility for the '08 NFL Draft he'd be the number one pick. But Laurinaitis elected to stay in school and he was at the top of everyone's board when the 2008 season began.

Of course, when you're number one, everyone is gunning for you. All summer scouts and personnel guys studied every aspect of the linebacker's game and suddenly flaws began to emerge. Usually in the process of scouting a player a team will finds a guy they really like. Then they'll look for all the reasons not to draft him. It didn't help that Ohio State was on national television almost every week. Laurinaitis was over-analyzed and overexposed.

As it turns out Laurinaitis had a solid year but because everyone was only looking at the negatives (and through not fault of his own) the linebacker's stock in the draft dropped like a stone. When the draft finally rolled around Laurinaitis dropped from number one overall to completely out of the first round. Laurinaitis was taken by the St. Louis Rams with the third pick of the second round.

Of course, Laurinaitis ended up being a steal as he started every game in 2009 and was named to The Sporting News All-Rookie team. This year Laurinaitis continued to be an every week starter for an up-and-coming team that is one win away from improbably making the playoffs.

Thus, Laurinaitis Disease was born. The inability to overcome unrealistically high NFL Draft expectations. In 2009 USC's Taylor Mays suffered the same fate. Mays went from being a solid top 10 prospect at the end of 2008 to mid-second rounder in 2010. Mays hasn't quite been as productive as Laurinaitis was his rookie year but has shown flashes of having the ability to start every week.
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http://www.620wtmj.com/sports/falconio/112700954.html
 
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Not sure it's fair to compare Laurinaitis to Locker. I mean, Laurinaitis was a multiple time All American. Locker has thoroughly mediocre for his entire career. Guy was overrated and nobody respectable said he was a #1 pick last year (i.e. only Todd McShay said that). Hell, nobody called James a #1 pick, either.
 
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I think Locker gets inflated because of how bad Washington was with not winning a single game and then now they went to a bowl. I mean, the announcers were all over his jock last night talking about how great he was and how you can't just look at stats when you're drafting a QB. at that time he was like 4-13 passing......I was like "WTF?"


anyway, so glad JL is on the Rams. After rooting against him for so long, it's nice to be able to appreciate his talent
 
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Lou Holtz kept saying "you can't give him a minus, because he's throwing the ball well but nobody is open". I'm pretty sure that good QBs find ways to make it work. In the NFL, how many times do you think WRs are running wide open? How about 'never'.
 
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