By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
But perhaps maybe they’ve been roommates for too long.
“Larry and I have been rooming together since back in the college days on game days and stuff,” Laurinaitis said, laughing. “Yeah, we get sick of each other very easily. It’s kind of like being brothers where you are around each other all the time and you’re going to say stuff you don’t mean just top get under his skin. I enjoy it, though.”
Laurinaitis says he gets tired of Grant’s penchant for talking on the phone all the time, especially when he’s trying to sleep.
Of course, Grant says Laurinaitis has ways to get under his skin, also.
“Everyone has their days, that’s all I can say,” Grant said, a sly smile creeping across his face. “Of course, he’s like a brother. Being in the same room, two grown men who have basically been brothers for a long time, we have our days.”
When told that they sound like an old married couple, Grant couldn’t help but needle his pal.
“I wouldn’t marry James,” Grant said, laughing. “He’s not that attractive.”
Jokes aside, the Rams have to be plenty attracted to what they have seen from the Ohio State duo in this training camp. And though Laurinaitis already carried with him the cache of a terrific rookie season and the label of defensive leader entering camp, it’s Grant that has been perhaps this preseason’s most pleasant surprise.
In Saturday night’s opener against Minnesota, Grant was all over the field on defense and special teams and his performance proved to coach Steve Spagnuolo that the faith the coaching staff has showed could pay off.
“Larry showed up in the game,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s done some versatile things here where he has played the WIL in the base package and also been doing some stuff in the nickel package. Anytime you can do that, you help yourself.”
Maybe no player has done more to help himself in the past three weeks than Grant.
The Rams signed Grant from San Francisco’s practice squad on Nov. 26, 2008. With the season almost over, the Rams didn’t ask Grant to do much other than contribute on special teams.
Grant took the role in stride and flashed potential as a special teams ace in racking up six coverage stops in just two games.
Entering 2009 with a new coaching staff, Grant had plenty to prove just to land a roster spot and again earned himself a roster spot through special teams where he played all 16 games.
Despite his knack for finding a niche on special teams, Grant wanted much more than to just be a guy that chips in on the special forces.
“Being a competitor, I wanted to be a starter,” Grant said. “Not just this year. I wanted to be a starter last year and the year before when I first got to the NFL. Being in this business for a few years now, I have learned that it takes more than just wanting something. It takes a lot of stuff off the field and when people are not looking to become a starter. I keep this tunnel vision so hopefully everything will work out for me.”
After a strong spring in which Grant began to show he was developing a grasp on second year coordinator Ken Flajole’s defense, Grant returned to St. Louis for the start of training camp and was summarily greeted with the news that he sat atop the depth chart as the team’s WIL or weak side linebacker.
It would require a bit of an adjustment for Grant, who played mostly on the strong side his first one-plus seasons in St. Louis. But Grant played all three linebacker positions in his time at Ohio State so he wasn’t working from a completely blank canvas.
“I felt a lot better making this transition from the strong side to the weak side this year,” Grant said. “It kind of fits me a little better. I feel like I am pretty good in space so being a weak side linebacker you’ve got to be able to play in space. The coaches asked me to make this transition and I am doing the best I can.”
Grant’s improvement was noticeable to anyone watching from the first day of this training camp.
Settling into his new spot on the weak side, Grant laid a couple of booming hits in the first fully padded practice, at one point even dislodging fullback
While Grant is quick to point out that no individual success will trump anything the team accomplishes, he also makes no bones about what his goal is when the preseason comes to an end.
“My personal goals, of course being a competitor I want to be a starter,” Grant said. “I am doing OK right now. I just have to continue to progress and get rid of some of the mental mistakes but of course my top goal was becoming a starter.
“Right now I don’t think there’s a set starter. The competition is daily. On a daily basis everybody has to come out and compete.”
And though Grant is pleased with how far he’s progressed in the past couple of years, he’s also quick to credit his coaches and teammates in helping his development.
Sure, Laurinaitis can be a pain when the two are sharing a room but the benefits of their brotherhood and that of fellow former Buckeye linebacker Na’il Diggs might be at the top of the list for Grant’s progress.
“He’s been a huge help to me since I have known the guy, not just here now but in college as well. He and Diggs as well have taught me so much since being here and I’ve learned so much of this defense just watching those two guys. It’s been a real big help for me. In the huddle, during the play, those guys are great.”
With three preseason games left to play, Grant is taking nothing for granted. He fully intends to continue to perform during the games and in practice so the coaching staff has no choice but to make him the opening day starter alongside his Buckeye brethren.
“It means a lot (to play well),” Grant said. “My main focus is doing what I can to make sure our defense is at our best. It means a lot to go out there and do well. It would mean even more to go out and pull out a W this week.”
