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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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La Canfora: Rams expect to complete James Laurinaitis extension before season
By Eye on Football staff
August 15, 2012

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Laurinaitis is in line for a new contract. (Getty)

The following is a report from CBSSports.com's NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.

The Rams expect to complete a contract extension for linebacker James Laurinaitis before the start of the season, according to league sources.

The team, which recently completed a deal for end Chris Long, is working on getting Laurinaitis locked up as well and it's expected before Week 1. The Rams have their core tied up long-term besides the linebacker and will be well positioned, with a bulk on the upfront money already paid out prior to the 2015 season -- when the cap is projected to rise.

By 2014, should the Rams keep the bounty of picks they have acquired in recent trades, the team would have 12 first- and second- round picks locked up under the new team-friendly rookie wage scale -- which also creates cap space to use toward extending current top players like Sam Bradford, who currently has four years left on his deal.
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/e...ete-james-laurinaitis-extension-before-season
 
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Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis tackles big contract, field opponents
Thursday, September 13, 2012
BY R.B. FALLSTROM/The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS ? The day before the St. Louis Rams' opener, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis signed a five-year contract extension. The business of sport out of the way, he put up the usual double-digit tackle day.

Laurinaitis led the Rams in tackles his first three seasons and got a nice head start on making it four straight seasons after participating in 15 tackles in the loss at Detroit in Week 1. He said the new contract gives him a measure of security.

He also thinks the Rams, who have won just 15 of their past 81 games, are poised to make a move.

"Obviously with the regime we have, I'm proud to be a part of it and I'm proud to be in St. Louis," said Laurinaitis, a former second-round pick out of Ohio State. "It's nice to know that I'll be here for sure for another five years. I don't have to wonder at all about it going through the season."

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http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/09/13/rams-linebacker-gets-big-deal-puts-big-numbers/
 
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Laurinaitis gets earful over bobblehead
BY JIM THOMAS

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Fellow Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar cut right to the chase when told about the James Laurinaitis bobblehead.

"Does it have the big ol? ears?" Dunbar asked, laughing.

According to Laurinaitis, the answer is no.

"The ears aren?t realistic," Laurinaitis said. "The ears aren?t big enough on the bobblehead. I have big ears."

On the plus side, Laurinaitis notes: "It does have tattoos."

Sunday is James Laurinaitis bobblehead day at the Edward Jones Dome when the Rams play Seattle in a noon kickoff. The first 10,000 youths age 14 and under attending the game will receive the bobblehead doll, featuring Laurinaitis in his signature flex pose.

When asked if he had any "editorial" control over the product, Laurinaitis joked, "No. they show you the finished product. They say, ?Hey, here?s your bobblehead.? I?m like, ?Oh, it looks nothing like me.?

"No, it?s good."
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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b51371be-0983-11e2-9b49-001a4bcf6878.html
 
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NFL's James Laurinaitis preparing for Tom Brady showdown at Wembley
James Laurinaitis will perform a special dance in celebration if he slams New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady into the Wembley turf on Sunday.
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Target acquired: Laurinaitis has Brady in his sights (Picture: Getty)

The St Louis Rams linebacker will target the NFL?s poster boy throughout and beat his chest in pride before unveiling his signature move if he can sack one of the sport?s greatest quarterbacks.

The celebration will be in tribute to his dad who performed at the famous old stadium in the Summer Slam as part of the wrestling tag team Legion of Doom and was known as Animal, teaming up with his wrestling partner Hawk.

Laurinaitis, 26, is proud of his father and said: ?My dad was in the WWF and WCW and all those different outlets that they used to have back in the day, he wrestled in all of them.

?It was an awesome childhood, I just grew up basically idolising my father, loved everything he did and definitely had friends that loved it as well.
?It was a good thing to be able to have a dad that had a cool profession that was totally different but to me it was normal.?

The Legion of Doom had a finishing manoeuvre in the ring called the Doomsday Device and Laurinaitis added: ?Dad would put a guy on his shoulders and Hawk would jump on the top rope and clothes-line him.

?My poor sister, I used to put her on my shoulder all the time, my brother would jump off the diving board and she?d be the recipient of all that.?

So what about his own signature move? ?I don?t know but I?ll have some sort of celebration fired up if I can get to Brady, I promise.?
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Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/916080...r-tom-brady-showdown-at-wembley#ixzz2APNLfLac


Feldman: Laurinaitis says Rams have different outlook than in past
by Brian Feldman / FootballSTL
KMOV.com
Posted on October 25, 2012

LONDON -- I had an absolutely enlightening conversation with LB James Laurinaitis Thursday at Rams practice in London. We were talking about how far this organization has come with regards to the past and its dubious 15-65 five year stretch.

Laurinaitis said the last couple years the motto kind of was ?we?re going to turn this thing around." It was said in the future tense. Basically, the turnaround had not begun yet.

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http://www.kmov.com/sports/Feldman-Rams-have-different-view-of-future-now-175824881.html

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYCNCJRnKnw"]James Laurinaitis Interview (NFL St. Louis Rams) - YouTube[/ame]
 
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JAMES LAURINAITIS IS ON ROAD TO GLORY
27th October 2012
By Ian Whittell

WRESTLING nut James *Laurinaitis is aiming to beat New England Patriots into submission at Wembley *tomorrow.

The St Louis Rams linebacker is the son of former WWE star Joe Laurinaitis ? better known as Road Warrior *Animal in the legendary 1990s tag team The *Legion of Doom along with partner Michael Hegstrand, known as Road *Warrior Hawk.

?I had an awesome childhood, I grew up basically idolising my father,? said the 26-year-old, ahead of the *International Series clash in London.

?I loved everything that he did. I loved watching him on TV and definitely had friends that loved it as well.

?It was a good thing to have a dad who had a cool profession that was totally different ? but to me it was normal.

?When he came home dad was dad, he wasn?t ?Animal? any more ? he left that character on the road.

?It was definitely unique to have your dad being a pro wrestler, but at the time I didn?t really know it was unique *because I didn?t find out it wasn?t the norm until I got into *middle school.

?He was part of a tag team called The Legion of Doom and their famous *finishing *manoeuvre was called the Doomsday Device. Dad would put a guy on his shoulders and Hawk would jump off the top rope on to him.

??I used to put my poor sister on my shoulders all the time and my brother would jump off a diving board and she would be the recipient of all that!?

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http://www.dailystar.co.uk/othersport/view/279305/James-Laurinaitis-is-on-road-to-glory/
 
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November 7, 2012
Buckeye bash: Boone, Laurinaitis to renew friendly (we think) rivalry

You know two guys have a strong friendship when one doesn't hesitate to throw a string of colorful -- and public -- insults at the other. So it was today with Rams inside linebacker James Laurinaitis who volunteered that he was roommates with 49ers guard Alex Boone at Ohio State.

What was Boone like, James?

"Dirty, loud. The guy could snore through four walls and you'll hear him," Laurinaitis said. "He's a big man. The whole sleep apnea -- all that stuff. I would always advocate to get him one of those things to put over his face because I don't want to hear him snoring anymore."

Laurinaitis, an inside linebacker with the Buckeyes, never tangled much in practice with Boone, a left tackle, while in college. On Sunday, however, the matchup between Laurinaitis, who leads the Rams in tackles, and a 49ers running attack that ranks No. 1 in the league promises to be the main event.

It also might be a good matchup to have mic'ed up. Both players are rather talkative. "Oh, absolutely. Abolutely. That's just Alex," Laurinaitis said. "There's going to be some fun trash talking going on between me and him. And I look forward to it."

Both players left Ohio State in 2009. Laurinaitis was a second-round pick. Boone, who once was mentioned as a potential first rounder, wasn't drafted at all after a well-publicized alcohol-related incident in Southern California raised red flags about his character.

He caught on with the 49ers' practice squad after the 49ers picked him up as an undrafted free agent.

Said Laurinaitis of the road his former teammate has traveled: "Just to see him get things right and to really go forward with that. The physical stuff, I never questioned at all with Alex Boone. He is an extremely big human being. He always worked hard. Seeing him catch on and seeing how much he battled -- I mean, talk about perseverance. He's a practice-squad guy who's worked his way into this lineup. It's cool to see that with guys that you don't know. But when you know somebody personally, it's awesome to see that."
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Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archi...dly----we-think----rivalry.html#storylink=cpy
 
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Bernie Bytes: Rams need better play from Laurinaitis
BY BERNIE MIKLASZ, Post-Dispatch Sports Columnist

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Dolphins running back Reggie Bush breaks a tackle by Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis during the Oct. 14 game in Miami. (AP Photo)

Take Five:

1. We respect Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, but he has to play better than we?ve seen so far this season. Laurinaitis makes a lot of tackles, but that doesn?t mean he?s playing well.

The issue is the tackles that JL doesn?t make. According to the data (based on game-film review) at Pro Football Focus, Laurinaitis ranks 26th in tackling efficiency among the 35 NFL inside linebackers that have played at least 50 percent of their team?s snaps.
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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_d5788c3a-a5c1-57ff-8062-3c08f90a2dc4.html
 
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Laurinaitis has act together for Rams at the right time
Posted Dec. 06, 2012
By Dan Arkush

With the Rams facing one heavyweight running back after another down the stretch (in order, Buffalo?s C.J. Spiller this Sunday in Buffalo, Minnesota?s Adrian Peterson in Week 15, Tampa Bay?s Doug Martin in Week 16 and Seattle?s Marshawn Lynch in the regular-season finale), MLB James Laurinaitis is getting his act together at just the right time.

Laurinaitis played a big part in the Rams? recent wins over the Cardinals and the 49ers. In Week 12 in Arizona, he made a key late interception to stop a Cardinals drive. One week later at home vs. the Niners, his relentless pressure on QB Colin Kaepernick was primarily responsible for a safety when Kaepernick was called for intentional grounding in his own endzone. It was those kind of plays that led to the five-year, $41.5 million contract extension (with roughly $23 million guaranteed) that the third-year pro signed Sept. 8.

?He?s played well,? Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said of Laurinaitis, who according to team statistics has logged double-digit tackles in nine of the team?s 12 games, according to the team. ?He?s been on the field every snap. He plays in our nickel and all our packages. He understands the defense very well and he?s getting to the ball.?

Earlier in the season, though, there were some close team observers who found fault with the way Laurinaitis was playing.

?He was not making a lot of impact plays, and he was missing a lot of open-field tackles,? one team insider said. ?He was forced to make an adjustment in the new defense, which is a cover-2 shell that requires him to make more deep drops. He?s at his best when he can attack the line of scrimmage and play downhill. There was an adjustment period. He also came into camp intentionally lighter ? at about 240-245 pounds ? because he knew he was going to have to run around more, and maybe that?s made him a little less physical at the point of attack.

?But the last few games, he?s been a tackle machine.?
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http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/12/06/laurinaitis-has-act-together-for-rams-at-the-right
 
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