But he knows he’ll earn his place largely by what he does on the field. Laurinaitis made 109 tackles, a sack and an interception last season while playing through a hyperextended left elbow that included a torn ulnar collateral ligament and left him unable to take on blocks with anything but his shoulders.

Now healthy again, Laurinaitis plans to show the Saints, and the rest of the league, that he’s still the kind of player who can be the heart and soul of a defense.

https://twitter.com/Saints/status/713421600440389632

Laurinaitis never missed a start at middle linebacker in seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams. He has seldom missed snaps during a streak of 112 consecutive starts that ranks second among linebackers behind David Harris of the New York Jets (116).

"I can remember all those snaps I missed, and I'm mad about them," he said. "One was in Denver, I got poked in the eye. That's why I wear a visor now. The other one, I cut my ear believe it or not. I had to get 14 stitches in my ear."

He also played through what he called an "awful" elbow ligament injury last season he said would have required Tommy John surgery were he a baseball pitcher, and yet he continued to play.

"Luckily it just scars over when you don't have to throw with it," he said. "It's feeling great. But gosh, from Week 6 on, I couldn't do any bench press in the weight room, I couldn't lock my elbow out and extend it fully, so I had to wear an ugly brace."

Laurinatis said the elbow has since healed.