Laurinaitis not worried about securing new deal with Rams

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams shifted their focus to locking up middle linebacker James Laurinaitis a day after the franchise and Chris Long agreed to a new contract that will keep the defensive end with St. Louis for five more seasons.

Laurinaitis said he's paying zero attention to negotiations two days into training camp. Laurinaitis, who has led the team in tackles all three of his seasons, said Monday he'll let his play do the talking and let his agent take care of such matters.

"The last time I talked to Tom Condon, it was, 'Hey, good luck in camp, just go out there and do what you do,'" Laurinaitis said. "I've got enough to worry about without making a mental error.

"That stuff will take care of itself."

Laurinaitis is entering the final year of a four-year, $5 million contract he signed after the Rams drafted him in the second round in 2008.

New coach Jeff Fisher hasn't named captains yet, but that's what he called Laurinaitis.

"He's the kind of guy you want at the middle linebacker position," Fisher said. "He's dedicated, he's intelligent and he's very committed.

"Football is important to him, and he wants to learn."

Laurinaitis' comfort zone has increased with his father and sister recently moving to St. Louis. He held his squirming 15-month-old nephew, Jacob, much of the time while talking to reporters.

"He loves Uncle James," Laurinaitis said. "Don't you, bud?"

Laurinaitis shed 10 pounds in the offseason and reported at 242 pounds to better handle the pass defending duties in Fisher's system. He reported at 8 percent body fat, 3 percent higher than super lean running back Steven Jackson, whom he referred to as a "freak."

Laurinaitis needed a bigger body to fend off blocks from linemen more often in his first three seasons playing for Steve Spagnuolo.

"I went back to Ohio State and really got after it," Laurinaitis said. "I notice it out there, just being able to run and then get back to the huddle with no problem. Next play, let's go."

Laurinaitis will consume 4,500 calories on a typical work day. He referred to a laminated sheet that gave values to various foods throughout the offseason.

The Rams will put on pads for the first time Wednesday in a special teams practice, with the first full-squad test Thursday. Fisher said there was no letup on Day 2, much like opening day but with fewer fans watching on a workday afternoon.

More than 1,500 attended the opening workout, and the team counted 593 on Monday.

"This team's going to be consistent with that," Fisher said. "They like practicing and they like the challenges. They know better than to pace themselves because as we say we don't have a lot of reps to go around."