James Laurinaitis wearing a #55 jersey; and one without any hints of scarlet or gray. It’s definitely going to take a little getting used to, but, as a fan, I am beyond excited for James! He kicked off his very first minicamp as a professional football today with the Rams. Here is a short report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Second-round pick James Laurinaitis worked mostly with the No. 3 unit at middle linebacker during team drills. Chris Draft was at MLB with the starters. “As this weekend goes, we’ll try to get (the rookies) in there a little bit more, just so we can get a little better feel for what they can do,” Spagnuolo explained.

Hope to hear more soon!

The Ohio State University football program recorded its 800th all-time victory yesterday against in-state rival Ohio University.

The outcome was closer than many imagined, including the team, but a strong 4th quarter gave the team the lead for good as they went on to win 26-14.

James had 9 total tackles to lead the defense (4 solo, 5 assisted) plus an interception after teammate Marcus Freeman tipped an OU pass. James also broke up a pass during the game.

The boxscore, postgame quotes, and more can be found on the official website. Pictures can be seen at The OZone.

The team never seemed to get a rhythm going and could not execute very well. Due to the struggles and closeness of the game, the team slid 2 spots, in the AP poll, to #5.

That the defense did not give up any points is a strong testament to the strength of the defense, led by James, who registered 5 assisted tackles today. Marcus Freeman had 2 solo and 4 assists to lead all defenders. James played well into the 2nd half before taking his spot along the sidelines with his teammates.

Pictures from today’s contest can be found here, courtesy of photographer Josh Winslow.

I attended today’s game — my first OSU game — and it was a joy to see so many #33 jerseys. I saw #28 and #33 more than any other jerseys. I also loved seeing James’ enthusiasm every time he gestured for the crowd to get into it. You can tell how much he loves Buckeye Nation. I have some video and pictures myself. I’ll go through them and share anything that comes out well. My seats were really close to the field and the tunnel.

**Watch the captains post-game presser (Official Website)

Since this is the first and only open practice, it was quite obvious that the staff wasn’t going to show their hand to the public. Even after nixing the autograph session and prohibiting cameras. (I had mine, though ) [Dispatch recap, Official Photo Album]

The Olympics are going on, and I’m like a lot of the country has been for the past week: watching Michael Phelps rewrite the record books. So I haven’t been posting with the frequency I should have. I know, I know. Bad. But the Olympics are only every 4 years. They’ll be done this weekend and I’ll be all football, all the time!

Here’s a rundown on what I didn’t post in the past week: