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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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Mr. Incredible;624654; said:
This kid is a stud, reminds me of a big Zach Thomas (pound for pound the best LB in the NFL). He is always either making the play or around the ball. Could possibly be better than any linebacker we've had in the past 5 years.
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its going to be fun to watch him develop. its great to see how dominate is is already, makes me look forward to each game more and more
 
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coltsfan16;624519; said:
i agree 100% in that any talk of him leaving right now is premature. i am looking at it more in the vision of not being suprised if he decides to leave after his 3rd year (assuming he stays healthy and progresses as he should).
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James is certainly very very good at this point and probably wayyyyy ahead of schedule in his development considering that he is only a true sophomore. He is already displaying a savviness for the game that's very rare for young players. Once he gets a little more physical, watch out. For LBers, the so called presence is developed when ballcarriers have a certain fear of getting hit savagely by the LBer. AJ had that, Carpenter had that and Schlegel had that. And there's every reason to believe that James will become more physical as his game progresses.
 
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Per the official site:

The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, the organization which annually presents the prestigious Butkus Award to the nation's best collegiate linebacker has announced that Ohio State sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis has been added to the 2006 Butkus Award Watch List.
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From ESPn
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2611255

September's most underrated
? Ohio State's replacement parts (21). Nine new starters on defense? Replacing an entire linebacking corps that was the best in the country in 2005? Not an issue, as it turns out. The '06 Buckeyes have surrendered 9.8 points per game; the '05 Bucks had allowed 11.6 through five games. If you're looking for a defensive candidate for the Heisman Trophy, why not Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis (22)? He's got an interception in four straight games and is averaging 8.2 tackles per game.
It's fun to fantasize.
 
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fourteenandoh;626438; said:
that's pretty damn impressive. good for JL. who else is on the list and does anyone think he actually has a chance to win it?
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Here's the original watch list from August:

butkusaward.watchlist

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]2006 Butkus Award? Watch List [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Conference Break-Down [/FONT]​
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]ACC
Antohny Waters Clemson
Brian Toal Boston College
Buster Davis Florida State
Jon Abbate Wake Forest
Jon Beason Miami
KaMichael Hall Georgia Tech
Larry Edwards North Carolina
Vince Hall Virginia Tech[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Big East[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Corey Smith Cincinnati
H.B. Blades Pittsburgh
Kelvin Smith Syracuse
Kevin McLee West Virginia
Nate Harris Louisville
Stephen Nicholas South Florida[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Big Ten[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Dan Connor Penn State
David Harris Michigan
David Herron Michigan State
Edmund Miles Iowa
J Leman Illinois
John Shelvin Minnesota
Mark Zalewski Wisconsin
Paul Posluszny Penn State[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Big 12[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Brandon Archer Kansas State
Corey McKeon Nebraska
Jordan Dizon Colorado
Justin Warren Texas A&M
Rufus Alexander Oklahoma
Thaddaeus Washington Colorado
Zach Latimer Oklahoma[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Conference USA[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Dennis Thornton Marshall
Jeremy Jones UTEP
Mastaki Smith UAB
Nelson Coleman Tulsa
Nick Bunting Tulsa
Troy Collavo UTEP
Wade Koehl Houston[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Pac 10[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Anthony Felder California
Blair Phillips Oregon
Desmond Bishop California
Keith Rivers USC
Rey Maualuga USC
Scott Davis Washington State[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]SEC[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Ali Highsmith LSU
Bradon Siler Florida
Earl Everett Florida
Jarvis Jackson Georgia
Juwan Simpson Alabama
Patrick Willis Mississippi
Sam Olajubutu Arkansas
Wesley Woodyard Kentucky[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Mountain West[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Beau Bell UNLV
Cameron Jensen BYU
Jason Phillips TCU[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]MAC[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Ameer Ismail Western Michigan
Dan Holtzclaw Eastern Michigan
Matt Muncy Ohio
Mike Alston Toledo[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Sun Belt[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
J.K. Sabb Middle Tennessee
Keyonvis Bouie Florida International
Phillip Graves North Texas[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]WAC[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Dwayne Andrews Fresno State
Korey Hall Bosie State
Matt Castelo San Jose State[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Ind[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif].
Maurice Crum Notre Dame
Rob Caldwell Navy[/FONT]
 
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Dispatch

Laurinaitis is quick to learn about picks
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
20061012-Pc-F1-0800.jpg

The art of the steal, or at least the intercepted pass, is all in the preparation, James Laurinaitis said.
"I study film all week," said Laurinaitis, an Ohio State sophomore middle linebacker. "You?re looking for route combinations ? if this receiver does one thing, then the guy following him is going to do that, and so on. You just try to get a feel for what the other team likes to do in certain situations."
The statistics show Laurinaitis has become something of an expert. His four interceptions lead the Big Ten and he is bearing down on Chris Spielman?s school season record of six for a linebacker, set 20 years ago.
One of the main reasons for Laurinaitis? success is that he has mastered the concept of being in the right place at the right time. Or, as a cagey thief once put it, "You?ve got to be there when the truck backs up."
"When you understand how and where the other team is trying to throw the ball, instead of just being out there covering dirt, you?re in the right area," said Spielman, an ESPN analyst and talk-radio host in Columbus. "And then, James has a knack for making the big play when he has the opportunity."
Few plays were bigger than Laurinaitis? pick early in the second half of Ohio State?s win at Texas on Sept. 9. It marked the start of four straight games with an interception for Laurinaitis.
The string was snapped last week in the win over Bowling Green, but Laurinaitis still found himself with the ball. Kurt Coleman blocked a fieldgoal attempt in the first quarter, and the ball flew straight into Laurinaitis? hands. At that point, he remembered being chided by OSU defensive backs for his less-than-inspiring interception returns, so Laurinaitis lateraled to safety Jamario O?Neal, who took it back 13 yards.
Laurinaitis and the defensive backs were upbraided the next day by coach Jim Tressel and his staff for being conspirators on the lateral. As a matter of fact, even "his mother didn?t approve of it," Tressel said. "His mother grabbed him and said, ?You?re lucky that worked out.? "
But luck has had little to do with the interceptions.
"James does a great job of what we call ?vision and break,? seeing the quarterback?s eyes, reading his shoulders, reading the tilt of the shoulder pads to tell you if it?s a deep or shallow (pass to be thrown) ? he?s got a knack for it," defensive backs coach Tim Beckman said.
Receiver Anthony Gonzalez has seen such skill in practice.
"He is probably the best cover linebacker I have gone against," Gonzalez said. "He is just very aware of what route is coming at him, what position he needs to be in, and then he has pretty good hands.
"If he is in the right position all the time, he is probably doing a great job of film study. That is the only way, really, that you can anticipate things on the field, by seeing them hundreds of times on film."
Laurinaitis credits former Ohio State linebackers Bobby Carpenter, A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel for speeding up his learning curve on route combinations. But his dedication first showed during his first game as a junior starter for Wayzata High School near his home in Hamel, Minn. In preparation, he learned the opponent liked to run a bootleg with the quarterback who would sometimes throw back to the tight end on a drag route over the middle.
"So I dropped in right behind the drag and picked off two," Laurinaitis said. "But after that I didn?t get a pick the rest of my high school career."
Now he has twice that many in half of his first full season as a starter.
"I guess you can say I?ve gotten more consistent, and I?ve got to keep it going," Laurinaitis said. "But it?s basically a product of studying film, constantly working on the fundamentals and being fortunate to have a great D-line getting pressure on the quarterback. Nothing happens without those guys."
 
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Bucks' stoppers

By Tom Dienhart - SportingNews

tom_dienhart.jpg



Meet Jim Laurinaitis.

Go ahead, shake his hand. You need to know the name and his game. Here's why: Laurinaitis, a sophomore middle linebacker, is the heart of an Ohio State defense that is better -- much better -- than anyone dreamed it would be.

"He's a special player," Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis says. "Lauri ... . How do you say his name again?"
It's Lore-in-EYE-tis. It rhymes with -- well, it doesn't really rhyme with anything. But it rolls off your tongue once you've mastered the pronunciation. Here, try it again: Lore-in-EYE-tis.

Ah, forget it. Just look for No. 33 the next time Ohio State plays. He's a 6-3, 244-pound focus of fury, the kind of player grizzled coaches say "plays like his hair is on fire."
Perfect.

Funny, isn't it? Most were forecasting imperfection for the defense in the preseason. Back in August, the skinny on the Buckeyes went something like this: "The offense is going to have to be as great as everyone thinks to cover for an iffy defense." A Lamborghini with a four-cylinder engine. More to the point: Tackle Quinn Pitcock and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins had star power, but Ohio State was replacing nine starters, including a group of linebackers that featured first-round draft picks A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter.

But look at Ohio State now, towing a 6-0 record, a No. 1 ranking and a head of steam that has the Buckeyes on track for their second national championship in five years.

"When we looked at the Ohio State film, I was hoping we might see some weaknesses with all the great players who left," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says. "I don't mind telling you that I was a little skeptical over the summer when I kept hearing that everyone was picking Ohio State to be at the top of the heap in the country.

"It's amazing. For the quote, unquote inexperience on the defensive side, those guys are playing super football."
Through six games, Ohio State's defense has morphed from suspect to super. The numbers don't lie. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten and rank first in the nation in scoring defense (9.3 ppg), the only defensive stat that matters. Ohio State's numbers figure to improve over the next five games, which we'll unkindly dub speed bumps, until a season-ending visit from Michigan.

"This is a different team than last year," Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock says. "We are getting the feel of what works and what doesn't work with this group. We have a comfortable front four and continue to make progress and play better each week."

Still skeptical? Well, remember this: Few -- if any -- teams have played two tougher road games than the Buckeyes, who have ventured to Texas and Iowa and won. But the Texas game served as the punch-in-the-face attention grabber for the Ohio State defense and Laurinaitis, who recorded 13 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception.
A rehab project? Ridiculous.

"They are a carbon copy of last year," says Northern Illinois offensive coordinator John Bond, who got the first crack at Ohio State's defense this season.

"We had some success with screens into some of their zone pressures, but that was about all we did that worked consistently well. They swarm to the ball. They gang tackle."

And they're deep despite losing all of those starters, including six NFL draft picks -- safeties Donte Whitner and Nate Salley, linebacker Anthony Schlegel and cornerback Ashton Youboty, in addition to Hawk and Carpenter.
"It's interesting to have as many guys rotating on defense as we do," Laurinaitis says. "It also is comforting. Any time a team has a lot of depth, it fires up competition and makes everyone step it up in practice. But we have a lot of work to do to eliminate big plays and increase our confidence."

Another key to Ohio State's defensive prowess: The Buckeyes haven't plugged freshmen into many starting roles. Check out the line, which starts three seniors and a sophomore. That veteran savvy, led by Pitcock, has created a disruptive push that has buffered the most youthful aspect of the defense: the secondary.

No doubt: If you're looking for a weakness, stop here. Ohio State starts a redshirt freshman. And another starter (Anderson Russell) has been lost for the season because of a knee injury, which further muddles the picture. The Buckeyes have minimized their use of risky coverages because of the youth and are playing lots of zone. Ohio State has yielded a few big plays -- too many for Heacock's liking -- but this still is an aggressive, attacking defense. It just has to be more judicious than it was last season when it comes to punching the pedal.

And then there are the linebackers. The famed Hawk-Carpenter-Schlegel trio has been replaced by sophomore Marcus Freeman, fifth-year senior John Kerr and Laurinaitis, the team's leader in tackles and interceptions.

Laurinaitis is an animal. Well, not really, but he is the son of The Animal, who was half of the famed tag team pro wrestler duo known as the Road Warriors and later as the Legion of Doom. Come crying to Daddy with a skinned knee in this family and you'll likely get a folding chair across the back. So, given those bloodlines, it's no wonder Laurinaitis is doing what he's doing. "He's smart," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says. "He studies it. And he's committed physically. He's very instinctive, and I think he'll do nothing but keep getting better."

Just like the Ohio State defense.
 
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http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=schad_joe#20061012

One-on-one with James Laurinaitis
posted: Thursday, October 12, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry

Growing up, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith flipped on his TV every Saturday morning and watched WWF Wrestling, like so many of us.

What has taken him aback, at times, is seeing some of those moves from his childhood actually replicated by Buckeyes' linebacker James Laurinaitis in the locker room.

"He shows us how to get hit by aluminum chairs without getting hurt," Smith said.

Asked whether Laurinaitis had ever tried it on him, Smith laughed: "Oh, no. Not me."

If you haven't heard by now, Laurinaitis is not only one of the emerging stars on Ohio State's youthful defense, but the sophomore also happens to be the son of former WWF tag-team wresting champion "Animal" of the Road Warriors.

Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell says that what makes Laurinaitis a special player is his intelligence. Even as a freshman, playing behind future first-rounders A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter, Fickell noticed Laurinaitis taking diligent, copious notes.

"Here's a kid that knew he wasn't going to see the field," Fickell recalled.

But this year, he has. A stunning effort against Texas. A Big-Ten leading number of interceptions (4) through six games. And a keen nose for the football.

"It's one thing to have good hands and other thing to use them," Fickell said.

Here is part of a very enjoyable interview with Laurinaitis, who I look forward to watching in person, at Michigan State, on Saturday:

Schad: Troy says you hit players with aluminum chairs in the locker room?
Laurinaitis: Yes. It's true. Mostly (linebacker) Marcus Freeman. He's a huge wrestling fan. So some days he gets it in his mind it's a good idea to wrestle around a little bit. He gives me chair shots. He got me pretty good with one. If you don't know how to throw it you can do a lot of things wrong with it. He hit me in the head and bent the chair. You try to hit it on the edge of the chair. He didn't really get that point. He's a huge fan. I take him to the matches. Sometimes, guys say, 'Put the figure four on me.' And I say, 'OK.' 'Put the sharpshooter on me.' 'OK.' We've done moves where he slams me on my back at the indoor facility. I'm wondering what the move is. I don't think we'll do this in-season. And we won't do this to Troy. Nope, we don't touch Troy at all. Not in practice. Nowhere. You know who you can mess around with, who's a stay-away guy. Troy's definitely a stay-away guy.

Schad: Troy says he knows wrestling.
Laurinaitis: I think he does. You know, he's talked to my Dad about it.

Schad: Do the fans like this whole wrestling deal?
Laurinaitis: Me and my Dad talked about how fans might come to games wearing shoulder pads with spikes. And now they are! They're wearing nice fake spikes with 33 painted on there. Everyone asks me about it and I'm proud. I'm proud of what my Dad did and that he gave me his genetics. He's a tremendous father. He was the first to put the shoulder pads on me. It's fun to have me involved. He taught me everything. He worked me out all the way through school.

Schad: After your NFL career, what wrestling persona will you take on?
Laurinaitis: What I want to do is wrestle with my Dad. Hopefully have my Dad interfere and help me win. My Dad is only 46, so he's got about 10 years left in him. We'll see how his body holds up. I don't know what role I'd take. That stuff is usually up to Vince [McMahon].

Schad: Is Vince McMahon in your cell phone?
Laurinaitis: No, but The Undertaker is. I got a call from him the other night. And he's a huge Texas fan. All he did was make fun of me. He said he was sorry for giving me so much crap.

Schad: Imagine that. The Undertaker apologized to you. OK. Let's talk some football. How is it that you lead the Big Ten in interceptions?
Laurinaitis: Some lucky throws my way. Our defense is so good, we have tremendous coverage. I had two interceptions in my first game in high school and then none the rest of my career. I lost my streak last week, you know? I had four in a row. Last week, they asked me if I played bad because I didn't have one.

Schad: We will have it cold and nasty in East Lansing.
Laurinaitis: I'm from Minnesota, so I don't mind. Not sure about sleeves. That will be a game-time decision.

Schad: What's this story about how you got mad at the Gophers because they claimed you had committed to them?
Laurinaitis: A reporter asked me, 'Could you see yourself being a Gopher?' And I said, 'Sure, I could see myself playing there.' So they put in the paper that I had committed there. I was only a three-star player and now this was my only offer. But then I had Ohio State and Notre Dame. And UCLA. Coming from Minnesota, no one had ever heard of anyone going to Ohio State. So I wasn't really mad at the university. But I was mad that the newspaper reported that. I wondered, 'What would happen now?'

Schad: And is it true Jim Tressel, Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell all came to one of your games?
Laurinaitis: I didn't realize that [Ohio State running backs coach] Dick Tressel came to one of my games. That's the real story. My coach told him I was committed to the Gophers and that they couldn't talk to me. So he flew back mad. Then he told my Dad. But the good news is, they all flew out to watch me play a hockey game. Three guys in the stands with Ohio State jackets? Let's say there was a bit of a buzz in Minnesota.

Schad: Why has your unit created so many turnovers?
Laurinaitis: Every time in camp we always had the five minute period called "Maize and Blue" where we really focus on causing turnovers. One day, it's tip drill, one day it's wrap-and-strip, one day it's punch. It's all about a focus on turnovers. This year, we really needed to give a boost in the turnover margin.

Schad: Is Michigan State you're biggest threat until Michigan?
Laurinaitis: If you watch the film, you see how skilled they are. They're where we were in 2004, at 3-3, struggling to find ourselves. They have an extremely talented quarterback (Drew Stanton). He is the best quarterback we've faced so far. And they have a big, powerful running back (Jehuu Caulcrick). Last year, they had 27 first downs against us.

Schad: When you watched a replay of the Texas game, did you think, 'Holy Crap! Who is that guy wearing my number out there?'
Laurinaitis: I haven't even seen the TV version. And I won't watch it until after the season. I watched the film with the coaches and I was focused on what I could improve on. Look, our defense is humble. We will spread the wealth and congratulations around. We may bend, but we won't break. We'll get turnovers. And we'll get off the field. This success started even before the season. [Defensive coordinator Jim] Heacock said before the season, 'If you don't believe you're as good as last year's defense, then get out of the room.' Nobody left.
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