Laurinaitis: ‘I have a lot left in the tank’

Laurinaitis wants to prove Rams wrong

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/jim-thomas-on-football-laurinaitis-wants-to-prove-rams-wrong/article_0de64f47-d0e3-5f9e-97a2-8201c697952b.html

The closer your parking space was to the players’ entrance at Rams Park, the closer your time was nearing an end with the team.

That was the running joke linebacker James Laurinaitis had with family and friends. With parking spaces assigned by seniority, turns out there was some truth to it. Laurinaitis made it all the way up to the No. 2 parking spot after seven seasons with the Rams.

Only defensive end Chris Long parked closer to the door, with eight seasons in St, Louis.

Both were released last month.

“You get to a point at (year) five or six and you never get surprised by anything anymore because you see so many guys you thought would be safe on cut day, and guys that would get released or traded,” Laurinaitis said Thursday in a conference call with New Orleans reporters.

Laurinaitis officially signed his contract with his new team, the Saints, this week.

What did surprise Laurinaitis about his Rams departure? Not only was sent information about the team’s March 4 informational meeting in Los Angeles, and asked if would attend, he also was asked by the team to do an interview for ESPN LA (and did so).

“And then two days later I was released,” Laurinaitis said. “That is what caught me off-guard. … You understand it is a business, but the fact that there was really no communication — I think to have certain players do interviews for your organization and then to be released shocked me.”

The NFL can be a cold, cruel business. Just ask Rams fans in St. Louis still struggling with the departure of their team to Los Angeles.

In looking for a new team, Laurinaitis told agent Tom Condon that he wanted an organization that was a playoff contender with an established offense and a successful quarterback. Basically he had none of that during his time in St. Louis.

Then again, the Saints haven’t exactly been making deep playoff runs lately. The team has finished 7-9 in three of its last four seasons — not too different from the Rams under Jeff Fisher. But New Orleans did finish 11-5 in 2013. The Rams haven’t seen 11 or more wins in a season since 2003.

Laurinaitis told New Orleans reporters he was excited about the stability of the organization.

“When you have a coach like Sean Payton and you have a quarterback like Drew Brees, you always have a chance,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s all I kept receiving when I would get texts from guys around the league.”

Laurinaitis said five or six teams expressed interest in him following his Feb. 19 release by the Rams, but New Orleans was the first team to call.

“Their vision for me was they want someone to come in that has leadership and that had football intelligence to help some of the young players,” Laurinaitis said.

The Rams released Laurinaitis because they felt he was a declining player. According to a source at Rams Park some of the in-house evaluations were harsh, saying Laurinaitis “was holding the defense hostage” because he had become a liability in man coverage, and that the team could “be so much better” at middle linebacker.

Laurinaitis, 29, obviously feels otherwise.

“Whenever you are released by a team or fired, because essentially that is what it is … there is definitely extra motivation to go out there and prove yourself,” Laurinaitis said. “Look, I have a lot left in the tank, and can go out there and play great football,”

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Laurinaitis’ three-year deal is for $8.25 million. He was scheduled to make $5.8 million in 2016 with the Rams. Laurinaitis has sold his home in St. Louis, with an April 15 close.

FREE AGENCY REVIEW

Granted, Laurinaitis and Long were no longer wanted by the Rams. But even in a free agency period where the Rams prioritized re-signing their own players — particularly on defense — the team will have four new starters on defense in 2016.

“I’m pleased that we were able to retain some of our guys that were important to us,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said at the NFL owners meetings this week. “We knew going in there was a chance we’d probably lose one of the four defensive backs. I didn’t anticipate losing two. But we have depth on our roster.”

The Rams lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins (New York Giants) and free safety Rodney McLeod (Philadelphia) in free agency. They retained cornerback Trumaine Johnson via the franchise tag and re-signed hybrid Mark Barron to a five-year, $45 million deal that will have him playing weakside linebacker much more than safety.

As for Jenkins, who signed a monster $62.5 million contract with the Giants, Fisher said: “We were a lot closer than people think. I was a little disappointed. I thought we’d get him … and then the money did take off.”

The Rams don’t have a clear-cut replacement for McLeod at free safety, and one possible option in free agency — Arizona’s Rashad Johnson — agreed to terms with Tennessee on Friday. Cincinnati’s Reggie Nelson, in whom the Rams have expressed some interest, remains on the market.

SUBTLE CRITICISM?

Long signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Patriots. And Fisher had plenty of good things to say about Long when approached by New England writers at the NFC coaches breakfast.

“There’s no holes there,” Fisher said. “He’s great. Really consistent day in and day out over the years. Loved to come to work. Always had a great attitude. Playful. Jokes around — the right way. … Obviously, last couple years injuries set him back. We released him and then 10 days later he texted me a picture of his newborn.”

But when asked how much Long, who turns 31 on Monday, had left in the tank, Fisher also suggested that Long needs to work out harder in the offsesason.

“If he’s gonna have anything to do with it, he’ll get it done,” Fisher said. “But that’s the question. It’s gonna be up to him. He’s gonna probably have to train a little bit more than he has in the past because of the injuries.”