Brent Lancaster went to Ohio State and then moved to St. Louis and immediately became a Rams fan. He’s followed James Laurinaitis wherever he’s gone. Since then, Brent has been interviewed on the Rams website and he writes for the Rams blog Turf Show Times on SB Nation. There is almost no one better qualified in the blogosphere to give us intel on the Saints new linebacker, so many thanks to him for chipping in. Here’s what he had to say:
Andrew from Saints Nation: Some Saints fans are psyched about this pickup, while others are positively bummed. The ones that hate this pickup are saying that Laurinaitis is slow, washed up and they point to his most recent Pro Football Focus grades. So is this really a quickly deteriorating player or can he help the Saints?
Brent Lancaster:
This is my opinion, but I wouldn’t use Laurinaitis’ PFF grades from 2015 as a basis for his ability to contribute in 2016, as he played most of last year with one functional arm after severely injuring his elbow in Week 7. He didn’t miss any time after the injury, showing extreme durability (112 straight starts) even though the Rams would miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. He never quits on his teams, even though he’s been part of a lot of bad football.He did have trouble getting off blocks and bringing down backs once they had a head of steam, but that’s probably par for the course with a bad wing. He also played in a scheme that did not routinely ask him to make splash plays at or near the LOS, instead relying on the Rams’ near elite DL to get backfield penetration and fill gaps, leaving him to clean up the trash and cover downfield.I think he can immediately help the Saints as a veteran leader who has seen a lot of football, and he should be 100% by the time the season starts. He might not run a 4.6 40 or be a sideline to sideline guy, but he is always in the right position, will make a handful of meaningful plays a game (he is a solid blitzing MLB) and will make sure the defense is ready. Knowing that Dennis Allen runs a similar scheme as Gregg Williams, and he knows what they expect out of him, it is a natural fit.
Does he have any flexibility from a position standpoint? Or is it middle linebacker or nothing? The reason I ask is the Saints have Stephone Anthony who was a rookie last year and played well at MLB. There are some theories that he might move to SLB to make room for JL55.
Theoretically he could move to SLB in 4-3 sets, but James is the type of cerebral player you always want on the field to direct traffic. He’s too valuable of a football mind to come off the field, unless his play severely declines when he is otherwise healthy. Anthony is a really good young player, and I think James will be a great mentor for him. My guess is that James has been told he will be the starting MLB heading into Saints camp.
The Saints defense was horrible last year and the biggest issue was linebackers getting killed in coverage by backs and tight ends. So I think a question on everyone’s mind is: how is James Laurinaitis in coverage?
He is pretty solid in coverage due to his high awareness level of space, playaction recognition and knowledge of route combos. He’s not going to run like Kuechly (not many MLB’s do) and cover 40 yards to make an interception downfield, but he will mirror most TE’s and not make bonehead coverage errors.It also depends on his playing weight. Early in his career, he played in the 250’s because Spagnuolo wanted a downhill thumper. In Williams’ scheme, James was asked to be more of a Tampa 2 MLB, and drop back into the intermediate level in coverage often. So, he played in the 240’s. This helped him cover TE’s within his zone.
By all accounts JL55 is a locker room leader, high character and the kind of guy you want your young players to learn from. Any insights on what kind of player/person the Saints are getting?
Basically, James is the dictionary definition of a coach’s player and consummate teammate. He’s constantly in the weight and film rooms, and always thinking and talking about football. He takes care of his body. He rarely takes days off from the grind. A self described football junkie, he used to stay around Rams Park during the offseason lifting and working. It’s easy to see why he was voted captain of the Buckeye defense and the Rams defense so often.I can’t think of any current NFL player with higher character. You’re getting a good player, and an even better teammate.
Anything else we should know?
He’s a family man, preferring to stay in and watch shows like the Bachelor or Big Bang Theory with his wife than go out on the club scene. He and his wife have a young daughter who they adore. He’s very involved with charities, including Make-A-Wish and Athletes for Animals (http://athletesforanimals.org/athletes/).All in all, he’s pretty boring like the “rest of us” lol.
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