- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Laurinaitis practicing, but still iffy for Browns
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_496b62c0-ad41-5e7b-8e68-f741d6b66919.html
The one thing linebacker James Laurinaitis just doesn’t do is miss playing time, be it on the practice field, in exhibition play, or regular-season contests.
But for two-plus weeks at Rams Park — and two preseason games — his world was awry because of an ankle injury. There’s no other way to put it: it just wasn’t normal to see Laurinaitis standing on the sideline.
“It’s not fun,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s not normal watching practice. You try to stay involved and you teach the guys ... but I missed my guys out there.”
Laurinaitis returned to the practice field this week, and did a little bit more each day. He got in some 11-on-11 work Thursday, the team’s final full-scale workout prior to Saturday’s preseason game in Cleveland.
“Don’t know whether he’s going to go; it will be very close,” coach Jeff Fisher said following Thursday’s practice.
But there’s no hedging on the other Rams’ defensive starter who has been sidelined by an ankle injury. Fisher said definitively that D-tackle Michael Brockers will play against the Browns.
“Brock is back,” Fisher said after Thursday’s practice.
With perhaps a few individual exceptions, the plan is to play the starters on offense and defense the entire first half — or close to it. Brockers will be no exception even though this is his preseason debut after suffering the ankle injury during the team’s Aug. 2 FanFest.
“We’ve got numbers on the defensive line, and we traditionally rotate ‘em anyway,” Fisher said. “So with rotation, if he’s playing 15-20 plays he’s clearly playing till halftime.”
Fisher also said that left tackle Jake Long, guard/tackle Rodger Saffold, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins are expected to make their preseason debuts against the Browns. Long is coming back from offseason knee surgery; Saffold has been out with a stinger; Jenkins is back from a hamstring injury.
So almost all of the 22 projected opening-day starters will be in action in Cleveland. Laurinaitis remains iffy. Also, strongside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar will sit because of an undisclosed injury.
“I’m kind of excited about getting the secondary together for the first time this year,” Fisher said. “That’s going to be a good thing.”
Laurinaitis, an old-style ironman, is eager to join the party. He has started all 80 regular-season games since entering the NFL in 2009 as a second-round draft pick from Ohio State.
That currently ranks fourth among NFL ironmen at linebacker in terms of consecutive starts, trailing only Minnesota’s Chad Greenway (87), the New York Jets’ David Harris (84), and New Orleans’ Curtis Lofton (83).
Laurinaitis missed a few plays last season against Indianapolis after suffering a cut to an ear, but most seasons he plays every single defensive snap.
“I don’t rest very well,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s not one of my attributes. I don’t like it.”
But an ankle injury just before the FanFest practice necessitated a rare “rest” for Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis was pursuing wide receiver Tavon Austin when he fell over defensive tackle Kendall Langford, who had fallen.
“I twisted my foot in a weird way,” Laurinaitis said. “Freak thing, really. But you know, you get it looked at, and you get it healed, and now I’m ready to go.”
Even so, go-time might not be Saturday in Cleveland.
“I’m not sure it’s fully my decision,” Laurinaitis said, smiling.
Undoubtedly head athletic trainer Reggie Scott and Fisher will have a say in Laurinaitis’ status prior to Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“If I don’t play on Saturday, I’ll definitely play against Miami because I need to get out there, and hit blocks and flow and tackle and do all those things,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s why I don’t like kind of standing around.”
The Rams close the preseason on Thursday, Aug. 28 against the Dolphins.
Laurinaitis would be a lot more stubborn about playing if this was Minnesota week — the Rams’ opponent in the regular-season opener.
“If this is Minnesota week, I don’t care how many shots you’ve got to give me, how many pills that they allow,” Laurinaitis said. “I’m going. I pride myself on always being available.
“We always talk about ability or availability — two things that Coach (Gregg) Williams is big on, and I’ve always been big on. I pride myself on the fact that I haven’t missed a regular-season game.”
Williams is the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
In other words, it’s great to have ability. But ability doesn’t mean much if you’re not available on game day.
“It’s just that you’ve got to be smart,” Laurinaitis continued. “Do you go out there, and you’re like, ‘OK, let’s test it. Let’s do all these things.’
“You have a setback and then you’re out another four weeks or another three weeks. That’d be a terrible deal.”
Laurinaitis is one of the key components to the Rams’ run defense — and the defense, period — so the last thing the coaches want is a setback against Cleveland that could compromise his ability to play against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings on Sept. 7.
Laurinaitis had cleanup ankle surgery after the 2013 season. The surgery went well, but this current ankle injury just happened to be to the same ligament as the surgery repaired.
“The exact ligament got stretched a little bit,” he said. “It’s good now.”
Now that he’s back on the practice field, Laurinaitis said his conditioning is good, and his legs are fresh.
“It’s just going out there really next week not even thinking about it anymore — (where) it’s a non-issue,” he said.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_496b62c0-ad41-5e7b-8e68-f741d6b66919.html
The one thing linebacker James Laurinaitis just doesn’t do is miss playing time, be it on the practice field, in exhibition play, or regular-season contests.
But for two-plus weeks at Rams Park — and two preseason games — his world was awry because of an ankle injury. There’s no other way to put it: it just wasn’t normal to see Laurinaitis standing on the sideline.
“It’s not fun,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s not normal watching practice. You try to stay involved and you teach the guys ... but I missed my guys out there.”
Laurinaitis returned to the practice field this week, and did a little bit more each day. He got in some 11-on-11 work Thursday, the team’s final full-scale workout prior to Saturday’s preseason game in Cleveland.
“Don’t know whether he’s going to go; it will be very close,” coach Jeff Fisher said following Thursday’s practice.
But there’s no hedging on the other Rams’ defensive starter who has been sidelined by an ankle injury. Fisher said definitively that D-tackle Michael Brockers will play against the Browns.
“Brock is back,” Fisher said after Thursday’s practice.
With perhaps a few individual exceptions, the plan is to play the starters on offense and defense the entire first half — or close to it. Brockers will be no exception even though this is his preseason debut after suffering the ankle injury during the team’s Aug. 2 FanFest.
“We’ve got numbers on the defensive line, and we traditionally rotate ‘em anyway,” Fisher said. “So with rotation, if he’s playing 15-20 plays he’s clearly playing till halftime.”
Fisher also said that left tackle Jake Long, guard/tackle Rodger Saffold, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins are expected to make their preseason debuts against the Browns. Long is coming back from offseason knee surgery; Saffold has been out with a stinger; Jenkins is back from a hamstring injury.
So almost all of the 22 projected opening-day starters will be in action in Cleveland. Laurinaitis remains iffy. Also, strongside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar will sit because of an undisclosed injury.
“I’m kind of excited about getting the secondary together for the first time this year,” Fisher said. “That’s going to be a good thing.”
Laurinaitis, an old-style ironman, is eager to join the party. He has started all 80 regular-season games since entering the NFL in 2009 as a second-round draft pick from Ohio State.
That currently ranks fourth among NFL ironmen at linebacker in terms of consecutive starts, trailing only Minnesota’s Chad Greenway (87), the New York Jets’ David Harris (84), and New Orleans’ Curtis Lofton (83).
Laurinaitis missed a few plays last season against Indianapolis after suffering a cut to an ear, but most seasons he plays every single defensive snap.
“I don’t rest very well,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s not one of my attributes. I don’t like it.”
But an ankle injury just before the FanFest practice necessitated a rare “rest” for Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis was pursuing wide receiver Tavon Austin when he fell over defensive tackle Kendall Langford, who had fallen.
“I twisted my foot in a weird way,” Laurinaitis said. “Freak thing, really. But you know, you get it looked at, and you get it healed, and now I’m ready to go.”
Even so, go-time might not be Saturday in Cleveland.
“I’m not sure it’s fully my decision,” Laurinaitis said, smiling.
Undoubtedly head athletic trainer Reggie Scott and Fisher will have a say in Laurinaitis’ status prior to Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“If I don’t play on Saturday, I’ll definitely play against Miami because I need to get out there, and hit blocks and flow and tackle and do all those things,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s why I don’t like kind of standing around.”
The Rams close the preseason on Thursday, Aug. 28 against the Dolphins.
Laurinaitis would be a lot more stubborn about playing if this was Minnesota week — the Rams’ opponent in the regular-season opener.
“If this is Minnesota week, I don’t care how many shots you’ve got to give me, how many pills that they allow,” Laurinaitis said. “I’m going. I pride myself on always being available.
“We always talk about ability or availability — two things that Coach (Gregg) Williams is big on, and I’ve always been big on. I pride myself on the fact that I haven’t missed a regular-season game.”
Williams is the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
In other words, it’s great to have ability. But ability doesn’t mean much if you’re not available on game day.
“It’s just that you’ve got to be smart,” Laurinaitis continued. “Do you go out there, and you’re like, ‘OK, let’s test it. Let’s do all these things.’
“You have a setback and then you’re out another four weeks or another three weeks. That’d be a terrible deal.”
Laurinaitis is one of the key components to the Rams’ run defense — and the defense, period — so the last thing the coaches want is a setback against Cleveland that could compromise his ability to play against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings on Sept. 7.
Laurinaitis had cleanup ankle surgery after the 2013 season. The surgery went well, but this current ankle injury just happened to be to the same ligament as the surgery repaired.
“The exact ligament got stretched a little bit,” he said. “It’s good now.”
Now that he’s back on the practice field, Laurinaitis said his conditioning is good, and his legs are fresh.
“It’s just going out there really next week not even thinking about it anymore — (where) it’s a non-issue,” he said.
