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.