Lead them.
James Laurinaitis, left, was hesitant to speak up at times last season, when he set a franchise rookie record for tackles, but Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo has told the linebacker to take charge of the huddle in his second year.
St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo delivered that message to second-year linebacker James Laurinaitis this summer.
"I told him before the first preseason game that there had to be a moment where he grabbed the huddle and said, 'This is my show now,' " Spagnuolo says. "He has to let the huddle know when it needs to step up and play with a little more juice. He's starting to do that."
Leadership comes almost naturally to Laurinaitis.
"I was that way in high school (Plymouth Wayzata High School in Minnesota). I was that way at Ohio State," he says. "I'd rather be the person making calls and getting yelled at if I screw up than the one blaming somebody else."
Laurinaitis served as a team captain at Ohio State in 2007-08, the seventh member of the Buckeyes to be elected captain twice in a career. He says he grew immeasurably under coach Jim Tressel.
"Coach Tressel said to me, 'The best way to become a leader is to be someone who can be trusted to make plays and be accountable,' " he says.
The second-round draft choice, taken 35th overall, was all of that and more as a rookie. He started all 16 games and set a franchise record for a first-year player by making 146 tackles, 98 unassisted, to go with seven passes broken up, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
There were times when he wanted to say more in the huddle. Then he remembered his place.
"As a rookie, it's hard," he says. "You don't want to step on toes of guys who are 10 years older."
Laurinaitis learned the ways of professional sports from his father. Joe was never afraid to step on toes -- or heads -- as he pounded out a living as a wrestler known as "The Animal."
His son, who ranked seventh with 375 career tackles when he graduated from Ohio State, quickly developed a reputation in the NFL as someone who relishes contact almost as much as his no-holds-barred father. The advances he made in understanding offensive and defensive schemes are equally impressive.
"He's got a football mind," Spagnuolo says. "He'll probably be a coach someday."
Click here to continue reading.
SOURCE: USA Today
Comments |  RSS |
|
