Longtime fans of James Laurinaitis, knew there wasn’t really anything to worry about with his transition to professional football. We knew he’d go into the situation with a thirst for knowledge and a stellar attitude.

The Rams have noticed and are impressed, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The defensive coordinator, Ken Flajole, shared his thoughts:

“It’s a little premature, but I’ve been happy with James. It seems like he’s a very bright young man, has a passion for the game — all the qualities that we look for. So far, so good.”

Rams fans should also be thrilled to know that James will not be running his mouth to the press every possible chance he gets. He’d rather let his actions, on the field, do the majority of the talking.

“I feel like when guys come in and they start being vocal without proving themselves, that’s where they can get on the bad side of people, I think you need to just be quiet and learn. These guys have been here for a while, so soak it up. And when you put pads on and you’re able to play a game, go out there and just let your actions speak. And then we’ll see what happens.”

There’s a nice update/interview with James on the Rams Scout.com page. I’m not sure if it’s premium information or not, so I’ll just post a couple of parts I really enjoyed, which both involved James’ fellow former OSU linebacker Larry Grant. It’s nice to see them reunited at the next level like this.

“Larry is athletically, when he came over from junior college he was at mike backer and it was kind of me and him battling for the spot my sophomore year. And he’s extremely talented. He’s a guy that’s hard working and knows a lot about football. He’s a leader. He’s been a leader when he was at Ohio State, he did his job. To see him here with me is awesome because he’s helping me out with some things in the defense. I think with Larry you get a guy who’s extremely good with his hands and he makes some plays. I think if he gets the chance to play football he’s going to show some people that he’s going to be pretty good linebacker.”

He also talks about the chemistry that he and Larry already have on the field together.

“Right, exactly. We’re doing things here that we’d been used to doing at Ohio State. Staying after, 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 communicating. But regardless you’re going to have to be able to talk to these guys that you just met. Like everybody said, communicating, talking routes through coverages helps guys out, talking formation helps guys out, so there has to be a lot of communication amongst everybody.”

Read the full interview here.

Also, the Rams Twitter account has announced the following webchat with James!

Check out LB James Laurinaitis on Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 PM Eastern for a live chat session on NFLRUSH Zone (http://nflrz.nflrush.com).

James’ #55 Rams jersey is now available for presale at FansEdge.com. Click here to reserve yours today!

http://www.gotlaurinaitis.com/media/video/nfl_rams_minicamp_050209.flv

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!

James was a guest on 97.1 The Fan’s “The Big Show” yesterday, here in Columbus. Here’s a little more about the daily sports radio talk show:

Join former Buckeyes Chris Spielman and Kirk Herbstreit along with Bruce Hooley every weekday for late-breaking sports news and hot topics. The three will weigh in on the most significant local and national sports headlines and feature interviews with the sports world’s biggest players.

You can listen to a replay here.

Scoured the net a little to find out a little more about James’ draft day and thoughts. Found some interesting stuff!

The Rams were trying to trade up to get James. They were convinced that Detroit was going to take him with the 33rd overall pick. They didn’t, and the rest is history!

Also, the Rams were the first team to work James out. I did not know that as he kept a lot of his meetings and workouts to himself during the process.

And here are some quotes from the Man himself:

“I just want to contribute anyway possible, whether it’s special teams or starting. I’m just going through a whirlwind right now. I haven’t even thought about that. I’ll play wherever they want me to.”

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo says he will stay a middle linebacker.

“I got to experience so many great things this year as a senior — being a part of the first Ohio State team to beat Michigan five times in row, Senior day and being a two-time captain. Just things that I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if I left early. To me, it’s always been more about relationships and experiences.”

Buckeye Nation will miss those memories and experiences he helped build.

“A lot of guys get picked in the first round and are gone in a few years. It’s all about what you do when you get there. To be the first player taken at my position, mike linebacker, is an honor. This is a celebration.”

James will report to St. Louis for his first minicamp this Friday.

To any Rams fans who may be reading this, you will love James Laurinaitis. You’re getting a stand up individual who is of the highest character both on and off the field. No one will work harder for your team than James. He will continue to push himself to improve until the day he retires. Let’s hope that’s after a long and productive career in the ‘Lou!

With the 3rd (35th overall) pick in the Second round, the St. Louis Rams selected James Laurinaitis.

He was the 3rd Buckeye drafted (following Malcolm Jenkins, 14 and Beanie Wells, 31) in today’s draft. And immediately after James, the Cleveland Browns made a pick and chose Brian Robiskie. Great day for the Buckeyes!

I spent my college years in St. Louis and it’s a great sports city that I know James will enjoy. For a little fun, I hope he checks out University City (that was right up my alley). The Central West End was a favorite of mine as well. I’m not sure how close James want to be to downtown, but I’d personally recommend the following suburbs: Clayton, U-City (mentioned above), or the Webster-Kirkwood-Brentwood area. Frontenac and Ladue are really upscale. Frontenac has a great mall; not that James really cares about that. I did!

Congrats on achieving your dream, James! Can’t wait to see your career unfold!

James and 7 of his Buckeye teammates have been named to the 2009 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.

According to the press release, qualifications for membership in the inaugural NFF National Honor Society include:

Being a starter or a significant substitute in one’s last year of eligibility at an accredited NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, or an NAIA college or university;

Achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and

Meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

Ohio State not only had more members than any other Big Ten team, but also the most of any FBS school! Congrats!

James on Wall-to-Wall SportsJames on Wall-to-Wall Sports

James Laurinaitis and good friend Marcus Freeman stopped by WBNS 10TV’s weekly sports program, Wall-to-Wall Sports. They spoke about the combine and Pryor’s progress.

View the Video

View the Video

James has also appeared on ESPN’s pre-draft series “On the Clock”, but I wasn’t able to record that and that particular episode did not repeat.