LB James Laurinaitis (St. Louis Rams)

[iambrutus]

Originally Posted by Hubbard

Post #259 by HAYN:

thats pretty bad ass! I like it

[smitty03]

Did anyone happen to catch the mention on him in Sporting News this week? Not sure if I am aloud to quote Sporting News on here, but if I am I'd love to share it? Talked him up pretty good.

[lvbuckeye]

Originally Posted by daddyphatsacs

I'd say that he plays for jugs and asses at OSU wouldn't you? From what I hear, football players do pretty well in that department. You read what Crystal said right? Chicks dig that kind of thing.

great point. the jugs and asses at Ohio State are second to none.

[Padraig]

Originally Posted by Hubbard

Post #259 by HAYN:

Very nice...thanks.

[EyesofMarch]

This was in the Chicago Tribune.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....home-headlines
Ferentz has some decent quotes, but the rest is pretty standard stuff.

[Tresselbeliever]

Originally Posted by ohiobuck94

free link

From Bucknuts:

"There was something else," he said. "It just seemed like the coaches know what they were doing. They know how to win championships."

Laurinaitis is taking an interesting approach as he is looking forward to being around OSU's senior linebackers next year, even if it means redshirting.

"I don't care if I have to sit," Laurinaitis said. "All I really want to do is follow those great linebackers around and learn next year."

Man did we get lucky snagging him out of Minnesota at the last minute! Another thing you gotta like is that he is a humble young man. Playing behind a player like AJ really pays dividends.

[buckeye247]

He has three straight games with an interception doesnt he? hopefully he can make it four.

[BuckTwenty]

In December 2004, Joe received a call from Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. He wanted to visit.

"He said, 'Mr. Laurinaitis, I'm 10 miles away from your house,'" Joe recalled. "I said: 'Sorry, coach, James just committed to Ohio State.' He said: 'You're kidding me.'"

I found that part amusing

Perfect way to end an article

[MililaniBuckeye]

Uh, this probably would fit right in Laurinaitis' thread...

[osugrad21]

Chicago Trib

An animal, just like his dad

Son of pro wrestler Laurinaitis makes big impact for Ohio State

By Teddy Greenstein
Tribune college football reporter
Published September 28, 2006

At 12, James Laurinaitis went toe-to-toe with wrestling superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. And the kid didn't flinch.

The venue was the St. Paul Civic Center in Minnesota. James' father, Joe, (a.k.a. "Animal" of the Road Warriors) had invited his son's hockey team to watch him perform. During warmups Austin turned to Joe and asked: "Which one's your kid?"

Next thing anyone knew, Austin was performing his "Stone Cold Stunner" on James, starting with a kick to the gut.

"He took it," his proud dad recalled. "I didn't want him to be intimidated by anybody."

He wasn't then, and he isn't now. How else to explain how Laurinaitis, a 19-year-old sophomore, leads top-ranked Ohio State with 36 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles? Or how he was honored as national defensive player of the week for his performance at Texas?

The kid is an animal.

"When he came out of the locker room for the second half at Texas, he had a swagger," the elder Laurinaitis said. "He wasn't cocky, but he was confident. We could see it in how he flicked his wrists. My wife turned to me and said: `He's arrived.'"

Same goes for the entire Ohio State defense, which has yielded just 32 points in four games. Perhaps more impressive, the defense has scored 38 points off its nine takeaways.

Defensive backs Malcolm Jenkins and Antonio Smith ran back interceptions for touchdowns last week against Penn State. Laurinaitis also had an interception, which he returned 13 yards.

"I have to take one back one of these times," he said afterward, "or else I'll have to start pitching the ball back to Malcolm."

No, he's doing just fine. Laurinaitis and fellow linebackers Marcus Freeman and John Kerr somehow have managed to replace the trio of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. Hawk and Carpenter were first-round NFL draft picks; Schlegel went in the third round.

"When we looked at the Ohio State film, I was hoping we might see some weaknesses, with all the great players who graduated and left," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose 13th-ranked team plays host to the Buckeyes on Saturday night. "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. Now, after four games, you can see why.

"It's amazing. For the quote-unquote inexperience on the defensive side, those guys are playing super football."

Laurinaitis (pronounced Lore-in-eye-tis) calls the signals at middle linebacker. And the coaches believe in him.

"He's smart. He studies it. And he's committed physically," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "He's very instinctive, and I think he'll do nothing but keep getting better."

Laurinaitis excelled as soon as he was old enough to strap on a helmet.

"He played linebacker in the 4th grade and he would just smoke kids," his father said. "One time a quarterback came up the middle and James gave him a bloody nose through his helmet."

But while his old man excelled in a decades-long career that demanded theatrics, James plays it straight.

"He doesn't have a conceited bone in his body," Joe Laurinaitis said. "I told him: `Somewhere along the way you're going to face bigger, better and stronger players, so be a class act. When you hit a guy, help him up.'"

Laurinaitis reveled in having a pro wrestling star for a dad. He and his buddies would raid his father's closet, don his tights and shoulder pads and apply his face paint before grappling on the trampoline in the back yard. But Joe also strived to be a regular dad. He used his football background--he was a Division III All-American guard and linebacker at Golden Valley Lutheran College in Minnesota--to tutor his son, and he learned how to skate so he could coach James' youth hockey teams.

Joe also tried to avoid autograph-seekers when the family was out to dinner. But at 320 pounds with a Mohawk, it wasn't easy to hide.

"Going to Parent Teacher Association meetings was a little interesting," he said.

As a "Road Warrior," Joe racked up millions of frequent-flyer miles while wrestling up to 325 days a year. That's when James' mom, Julie, played catch with James--and taught him how to eat. Instead of cookies, James snacked on cherry tomatoes.

Julie was a fitness model and a power-lifting champion, once dead-lifting 305 pounds. She entered one contest in the early stages of her pregnancy with James.

No wonder when James talks about how his parents contributed to his career, he mentions "genetics." In his heyday, Joe bench-pressed 625 pounds.

At Wayzata High School, Laurinaitis blossomed into the top defensive player in Minnesota. His father says the Golden Gophers turned off his son by claiming to have received an oral commitment from him in the spring of his junior year. And when defensive coordinator Greg Hudson left Minnesota for East Carolina, Laurinaitis pared his list down to Ohio State, UCLA and Notre Dame.

Joe said the Buckeyes waged a "full-court press" during James' senior year, sending Tressel, defensive coordinator Jim Heacock and linebackers coach Luke Fickell to attend one of his games. But what sold Laurinaitis on Ohio State was the camaraderie of the linebackers and the realization he could learn from the future NFL trio.

In December 2004, Joe received a call from Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. He wanted to visit.

"He said, `Mr. Laurinaitis, I'm 10 miles away from your house,'" Joe recalled. "I said: `Sorry, coach, James just committed to Ohio State.' He said: `You're kidding me.'"

It was no joke. The Animal's offspring was bound for Columbus.

[Crystal76]

Originally Posted by daddyphatsacs

I'd say that he plays for jugs and asses at OSU wouldn't you? From what I hear, football players do pretty well in that department. You read what Crystal said right? Chicks dig that kind of thing.

Yeah, but I am wierd so I wouldn't count what I said.

The thing about this guy is he doesn't stop. I have been watching him, he is near the ball all the time. He may be running to catch up, but he is near the ball.

[Ahiacitian]

From CNNSI...


Wrestling with success

Laurinaitis making a name for himself at Ohio State


By Cory McCartney
Posted 9/28/06

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Normal for James Laurinaitis is having his dad dress up in face paint, tights and spiked shoulder pads.

It's also hearing people such as the Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Smash of Demolition tell him they saw him play on national television.
James' father, Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis, was one half of the WWF tag team Road Warriors, aka Legion of Doom. The 6-foot-2, 325-pounder could do a flip off the top rope, was known to belt out the catch phrase "What a Rush" and had a collection of action figures made in his image.
But to James, he is simply Dad.
"Everyone asks, 'Is it any different for you to have your dad as an action figure?' That's just all I know," the 6-3, 244-pound Ohio State sophomore said after last Saturday's 28-6 win over Penn State. "I think it's weird to not have a dad as an action figure."
These days, Joe is in semi-retirement and can be seen at Buckeyes games wearing his son's No. 33 jersey. He makes it a point to put the limelight squarely on James.
"When I go to those games, I'm very much incognito with a baseball hat on and I take myself out of the spotlight, because that's his time," Joe said. "I won't sign any autographs at games unless I'm alone afterwards. This isn't my spotlight. This is James' spotlight."
"Son of Animal" has had little trouble making a name for himself, spearheading a defense that hasn't lost any bite from last season, despite losing nine starters. Laurinaitis has team highs in tackles (36), interceptions (three) and forced fumbles (two).
"He's smart, he studies [the game], he's committed physically, he's very instinctive, and I think he'll do nothing but keep getting better," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said.
Laurinaitis appeared in all 12 games last season but started in just five, totaling nine tackles. His big break came against Michigan last season, when Bobby Carpenter, now a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys, broke an ankle on the first play.
"It was mixed emotions," Laurinaitis said. "I was excited because I was getting thrown into the game, kind of surprised. But I was also devastated because Bobby, a kid who's mentored me and taught me a lot that I know about the game right now, went down with injury. It was more devastation than anything."
Laurinaitis played the entire game, making just one tackle, on the final play of the game, and went on to start the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.
Entering 2006, there were questions about how effectively the Buckeyes could replace the dynamic linebacking trio of Carpenter, A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel with Laurinaitis and a group that includes freshman Ross Homan, redshirt sophomore Marcus Freeman, redshirt senior John Kerr (whose longest stint since transferring to Ohio State from Indiana had been 10 minutes before this season), junior Curtis Terry and juco transfer Larry Grant.
"You have to [use that as motivation]," Laurinaitis said. "Look at the way they played last year and to try and keep that up, you definitely have to keep going."
Laurinaitis said he learned a lot from Carpenter, Hawk (which was also the name of his father's former tag team partner) and Schlegel.
"They were so dedicated," Laurinaitis said. "You learn about how to handle stuff off the field, how to handle stuff on the field and how to prepare for a game."
Laurinaitis says Hawk has sent him text messages wishing him luck before each game, while Carpenter and Schlegel have called to offer their support.
The Buckeyes' defense has allowed one touchdown in its last 10 quarters, hasn't given up a rushing TD and already has more interceptions (eight) than a year ago (six), but Laurinaitis says there's still much to prove heading into Saturday's clash at No. 13 Iowa.
"I feel like we haven't arrived yet," he said. "We're nowhere near as good as those three guys were last year, and that's not saying we're bad or anything, it's just saying that those guys were on a whole other level."
Against Texas, Laurinaitis took a step toward that level. During a 13-tackle performance in which James forced two fumbles and had an interception, his dad says there was a noticeable change in his son.
"Coming up at halftime, my wife hits me on the arm, she goes, 'Look at him. Look at his walk'," Joe said. "I could see the same walk he had when he was in high school when he owned the high school his senior year. He was like a man amongst boys in high school. He had that same swagger in his step."
And that swagger hasn't left. He followed the win over Texas with nine tackles and an interception against Cincinnati, then added 10 tackles and another pick in the win over Penn State.
So far, football seems to be working out for Laurinaitis, but he has a future in the ring -- if he wants it. WWE head honcho Vince McMahon extended an offer to James while he was visiting his father's locker room after a match.
"We always talked about [that] as a last resort kind of thing," Laurinaitis said. "I'm not focusing on wrestling right now."
But if he does decide to climb through the ropes, Dad says James would have no trouble following in his footsteps.
"He's definitely a natural at it," Joe said. "He's been like that since he was about six years old. He's natural at talking to people. He's natural at doing interviews. He's natural at kicks and punching guys, stuff that we do in our business. He could do it if he wants."
Playing in front of tens of thousands of college football fans, all while being alternately cheered and vilified? It has little effect on the Son of Animal. His dad says he has already seen it all.
"I think he's been around so many events that he's seen me appear, I think that helps him," Joe said. "He's been there in front and he's heard the cheers."
Just like his dad, James is making a name for himself in shoulder pads, although LORE-A-NITE-US doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as Animal.
"I've been getting my name pronounced wrong my whole life," he said. "I used to go to hockey tournaments and they wouldn't even pronounce my last name. They would just say 'James' and my number. It's one of those things. I'm used to it, but hopefully before the year is out, people will know how to say my name."

[scooter1369]

Originally Posted by Crystal76

I agree, but I am a linebacker kinda girl. Something about running full force, and knocking the crap out of what ever comes your way, makes me happy.

I am really, really, really, beginning to like this young lady....

[Bleed S & G]

Originally Posted by Hubbard

Post #259 by HAYN:

Hayn you wouldnt happen to have his other arm would you? I like the design, too bad the artist made the cross lopsided

[daddyphatsacs]

I loved this quote the most out of the SI article.

"Coming up at halftime, my wife hits me on the arm, she goes, 'Look at him. Look at his walk'," Joe said. "I could see the same walk he had when he was in high school when he owned the high school his senior year. He was like a man amongst boys in high school. He had that same swagger in his step."