James Laurinaitis reported to work at the Rams practice facility in Earth City, Missouri on Friday expecting just a typical day in the weight room. But shortly into his work out, the Rams weight training coach told Laurinaitis that head coach Jeff Fisher wanted to see him in his office.
As Laurinaitis told Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon on their SiriusXM The Blitz show on Monday, that’s when he realized Friday was going to be anything but a normal day at the office.
“It was actually at that moment I thought, ‘huh, maybe I’m getting released'” Laurinaitis said. “And I went up there, and that was that.”
Unfortunately for Laurinaitis “that was that” turned out to be Fisher telling the Rams All-Time leading tackler they were releasing him after seven productive seasons in St. Louis and just prior to them officially making the move to Los Angeles.
Fisher thanked Laurinaitis for everything he’d done for the Rams and explained how they were moving Alec Ogletree to the Mike linebacker position to replace him. Fisher also informed Laurinaitis the Rams were releasing defensive end Chris Long and tight end Jared Cook as well.
Just like that, Laurinaitis was out of a job.
To say he was shocked as he left Fisher’s office is an understatement.
“And basically from there you’re just trying to digest it all,” Laurinaitis said. “You’re saying goodbye to your position coach and everyone in the building and all the weight room staff and the trainers and the guys in the equipment room.
“And then you’re packing your locker, putting everything boxes, and taking some jerseys and a couple of helmets and you’re done. That’s it. And then you’re calling your wife. I wanted to make sure I called her before it got in the public.”
For a couple that was in the process of finding a new place to live in Los Angeles, it was all pretty sudden.
“We went from wondering where we were going to live in L.A. to now wondering where we’re going to live period,” Laurinaitis said.
Three days later, Laurinaitis is beginning the process of picking up the pieces. The good news is, his agent tells him a number of teams have called expressing interest in adding him to their team. And with NFL executives and agents meeting this week at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, it’s probably just a matter of time before Laurinaitis lands a new gig.
After the initial shock wore off, he’s actually looking forward to what his future holds. And in retrospect, the Rams did him a favor releasing him now so he can get a head start on free agency.
“It’s exciting for us to be able to sit back and take our time and really think about a squad that can make a run at a trophy and getting into that process,” Laurinaitis said.
The decision where to sign is dependent on a number of factors, but it sounds like Laurinaitis wants to win.
“It’s where can I fit in. Who needs a middle linebacker. Who has a good chance and a good quarterback and an offense that can put some points up?’ Laurinaitis explained “And where do you want to go?
It’s the first time since college, really, I get the chance to ask myself ‘where do you really want to play?’ So it’ll be fun to sit back and think about the big picture a little bit.”
As Laurinaitis explained, weather and location will play very little role.
“I’m open to anything, I really am. I’m open to going anywhere. I’m just going to train and get an idea of who wants me and figure out what works best and where I want to go. Do I get along with the coach and fit the scheme and finding someone to help get you to the Super Bowl. So it’s just try to go through the checklist.”
As for his former team, Laurinaitis sees the same thing everyone else does: The Rams are on the cusp of something special. But they need to figure out who their quarterback is before they can take that next step.
“Who’s going to play the quarterback position?” Laurinaitis said. “Is (Nick) Foles going to come back and play at a higher level, like he did in Philadelphia? Is that just sort of a change of scenery, change of systems type fluke?
“Is Case Keenum going to be the guy, or is it someone else? They have to figure those things out. But I’m confident that they’re going to get things figure out.”
Until that happens, Laurinaitis worries the Rams will remain inconsistent. Much like last year when they had a chance to finish the season on a high note but fell flat against the San Francisco 49ers in the season finale.
“We had a chance to finish (on a) 4-0 (run) and then we go up to San Francisco and play a team that on paper we should have beat. The week before we went into Seattle and won, so you think you’re going to go (to San Francisco) and beat the Niners, and then we go in a lay an egg and lose in overtime.
“I think that’s just kind of been the story over the last three or four seasons. We’ll sweep Seattle and be really good in our division and then we’ll lose games that, without disrespecting teams, we’ll lose games that we should win. That’s been the problem. It’s how do you get more consistent and I think that’s just a sign of maturity. You have to get more mature.”
And of course, find a dependable quarterback.
