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LB Larry Grant (Official Thread)

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49ers Make Final Cuts
August 30, 2008

The San Francisco 49ers made their final cuts today, waiving 21 players and placing one player on injured reserve to reach the 53-man roster limit.

The 49ers also waived rookies WR Cam Colvin, G Brian de la Puente, TE J.J. Finley, LB Larry Grant, DE Louis Holmes and S D.J. Parker.

Official Site of the San Francisco 49ers - NEWS
 
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DaytonDailyNews: Dayton, Ohio, news and information

Rams to sign former Ohio State LB Larry Grant

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 11:06 AM

The 2-9 St. Louis Rams are looking to bolster its linebacking corp and are expected to sign former Ohio State LB Larry Grant to their 53-man roster later today. Grant was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2008 draft and placed on the team’s practice squad.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Grant is a versatile linebacker who took reps at all three linebacker positions while playing at Ohio State. He is likely to see some action on special-teams when the Rams take on the Miami Dolphins at home on Sunday.
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GRANT SUITS UP

When the Rams signed rookie linebacker Larry Grant off San Francisco's practice squad Nov. 26, it was mostly with a nod toward the future.

"We liked (Grant) coming out" of Ohio State, Haslett said. "He's very active and can do a lot of different things. We thought, 'Let's see what we can get out of him at the end of the year and then train him in the offseason and training camp. Hopefully we can get a good player out of him.'"

When Gary Stills (knee) was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, the future became now for Grant. He'll suit up for his first NFL regular-season game Sunday, taking over Stills' roles on special teams and providing backup at linebacker.

"I know it's going to be a lot of emotion. I'm going to be feeling real crazy inside," Grant said. "But I'll be able to keep my composure. I've got a lot of good guys around me to help me stay into the game. I'll be OK."

That his first action will come against the 49ers, who drafted him in the seventh round, "is pretty ironic," Grant said. "But I have nothing against those guys; I love them all. I'm just excited for the opportunity."
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12/20/2008 - St. Louis Rams' Adam Carriker fights through injuries - STLtoday.com
 
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05.08.2009
May 8: Cutting Pisa Tinoisamoa a Curious Move
By Bernie Miklasz

GM Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo continued to put their stamp on the Rams by cutting starting outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa on Friday.

Coach Spagnuolo wants bigger backers and corners.

Tinoisamoa was more of a fit for a ?Cover 2″ scheme, where speed was more important than brawn.

Tinoisamoa was an undersized ?backer who often overran plays or took the wrong angles on pursuits. His size limitations made him vulnerable to larger blockers who came after him. And certainly the Rams? previous regime made a mistake by overpaying the injury-prone Pisa in his last contract. And PT isn?t much of a special teams player, which is a minus. Also, I should point out that with Will Witherspoon moving to the weak side, Tinoisamoa isn?t suited to play the strong side.

That said, Tinoisamoa was a productive player for what he did. When healthy he was high up the charts on tackles made. And he?s a fierce competitor. Certainly he could have played a role, even as a backup, on the 2009 Rams. The Rams will save $2 million or so in cap money, but this wasn?t really a financial-based move. And the depth at LB isn?t strong.

Chris Draft will start on the strong side, Witherspoon will start on the weak side, and rookie James Laurinaitis is set to be thrown into the middle as an immediate starter.

There isn?t a lot of talent behind those starters ? unless you are excited by Quinton Culberson, Larry Grant, Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora.

The new coaching staff is impressed with Grant, so that was probably a factor.
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May 8: Cutting Pisa Tinoisamoa a Curious Move | Bernie’s 5 Minutes | STLtoday
 
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Keep an eye on Larry Grant
May 15

Larry_Grant.jpg


Last week the Rams released linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa with much controversy. There have been many who have questioned the move. Why would you replace a linebacker who has been the most productive player for the Rams at that position over the past 5 seasons? One of the reasons is that the Rams believe that they have enough depth and talent on the roster that they can free up that money for other needs. One of the reasons they believe they have enough depth, is because the Rams have a high belief in linebacker Larry Grant playing a bigger role for the Rams in the 2009 season.

Grant was a 7th round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers out of Ohio State in 2008. While with the Buckeyes he played alongside James Laurinaitis as a starting outside linebacker. Grant had 5 sacks that season and while he did start at OLB he played all three linebacker positions as needed. Grant is a tremendous athlete. He was the JUCO national defensive player of the year in 2005. On top of that he is a tremendous special teams player blocking 5 kicks in one season at the JUCO level and then blocking 3 kicks for Ohio State in his time there.

Grant did not make the 49ers squad coming out of camp but did remain on the practice squad. The 49ers tried to make Grant an OLB in the NFL and then tried to slide him in as a MLB while on the practice squad but he never was moved up onto the active roster. The Rams picked Grant up in late November off the 49ers practice squad and he was immediately placed on the active roster. Grant actually had 4 tackles in the final game for the Rams against the Falcons.

Very quietly Grant has been getting more and more onfield time with the Rams and although I wouldn't say he pushed Tinoisamoa out I would say that Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo is confident that the falloff won't be as great going from Tinoisamoa as a backup at LB to having Quinton Culberson, Larry Grant and Chris Chamberlain as the backups.
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St. Louis Rams Examiner: Keep an eye on Larry Grant
 
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Grant signed with the Rams on Nov. 26 of last season after San Francisco grabbed him with the 214th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He didn?t make the team out of training camp and ended up spending the first 11 weeks on the 49ers practice squad.

After injuries hit the Rams linebacker corps, the team signed Grant and Vobora (Nov. 4) to the active roster. It was a bit of a risky move for Grant, who had impressed in San Francisco and appeared to have a shot to land a roster spot this year. Vobora jumped at the opportunity to get a chance to play.

Grant opted to roll the dice and come to St. Louis. In two games with the Rams, Grant played mostly special teams, recording six tackles in those two contests. Vobora played in eight games, starting once at middle linebacker against

Grant?s special teams talent had caught the eye of some but with a new coaching staff in place, his chance to earn a defensive position accelerated as the slate was wiped clean and there were no pre-conceived notions about anyone on the roster.

?Last year I knew my role was going to be as a special teams player when I got here,? Grant said. ?I?m still trying to figure out what my role will be here this year whether it?s going to be special teams again or if it will be on defense. Of course as a football player, I want to play on defense and also special teams but I?m still just competing like everybody else on this team.?

At 6?1, 240 pounds, Grant is a natural fit at the position because of his size and athleticism. Unlike Vobora, Grant has spent most of his time at Ohio State and in his year in the NFL playing on the strong side. That has helped him get used to the intricacies of working on the edge, playing over the tight end and handling the pass rushing duties that come with it.

Grant is doing all he can to embrace the opportunity currently being afforded him and he?s got a sounding board in Laurinaitis, whom he teamed with for two years in Columbus, to help him get through any rough patches.

?We are doing things here that we were used to doing at Ohio State,? Laurinaitis said. ?You know staying after and watching film on our own, trying to get things down. When you have guys that are already comfortable with each other, it gives you a head start as a communicator.?

For his part, Grant is doing all he can to take advantage of the chance he?s getting.

?I feel like it?s a great opportunity,? Grant said. ?Of course I have some great competition right now in David Vobora. We will just continue to battle it out and when the day comes, the coaches will make a choice.?
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The official site of the St. Louis Rams - Article
 
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It had been widely assumed that versatile veteran LB Chris Draft was the front-runner to start at strong-side linebacker for the Rams. But at least for now, we hear the majority of first-team reps at the position are being taken by ex-Niner Larry Grant and former ?Mr. Irrelevant? David Vobora, with Draft playing mostly in the middle. It could be that the Rams prefer to have Draft serve as the top backup at all three LB positions.
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The Way We Hear It - NFL pro football rumors and insider news from Pro Football Weekly
 
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