Rookie LB earns praise for NFL debut

ST. LOUIS -- James Laurinaitis made 14 tackles in his first NFL start, 10 of them solo stops, plus he recovered a fumble. But the St. Louis Rams' rookie middle linebacker is far from satisfied.

Laurinaitis, the team's second-round pick out of Ohio State, is looking for ways to improve his play in Week 2 at Washington. When he reviews game tape, he said he tries to ignore what he calls the good stuff.

"As a football player, you have to be a perfectionist," Laurinaitis said. "You always have to look at things you can improve upon and I'm sure if you ask anybody on the team, everyone has something to improve upon, even guys with a long time in the league."

Laurinaitis said he's been this way since high school when his defensive coordinator regularly asked him to mention areas that could use extra attention.

The 6-foot-2, 247-pound Laurinaitis participated in seven tackles against the run, including one for a 1-yard loss, in the 28-0 loss at Seattle.

He saw things while viewing tape of his performance that he wants to improve upon.

"When you get satisfied, that's when you decline," he said. "You can never be satisfied as a player."

A starter in his first NFL game, Laurinaitis isn't letting it go to his head. He is proud that he earned the starting role for the Rams, who he knew were counting on him to be ready to play.

"In the NFL, you have no time to wait for somebody to grow up," Laurinaitis said. "You'd better grow up fast. I take pride in knowing what I'm doing and trying to get everyone else confident I know what I'm doing. You need to be on the same page, no matter what."

Steve Spagnuolo, himself a rookie as the Rams coach, said he thought Laurinaitis played well.

"It's not easy to go in there and basically be the quarterback of the defense as a rookie in your first NFL game," Spagnuolo said. "He made some mistakes and he'll be the first to tell you, but I think they're things that are easily corrected. Overall, he played a real productive game.

"That's what he is, a productive guy. And if he continues to have that production, it's going to help the defense."

Laurinaitis said he welcomes the responsibility and challenge of playing middle linebacker in the NFL.

"It's a big job, but it's my responsibility," Laurinaitis said. "You're responsible for making all the right calls; you're responsible for being the lead communicator. Whether you're a rookie or not, you've got to do that as a middle linebacker."

Running back Steven Jackson said the team is not listening to negative talk about the club after the season-opening shutout loss. He's also not upset with any fans who already have soured on the team.