The St. Louis Rams expect to have linebacker James Laurinaitis locked up to a long-term contract extension before the start of the regular season. Getting Laurinaitis under contract gives the team one less thing to worry about in 2013 when his old contract would have made him eligible for free agency. And how are fans reacting to the news?

Excited, as you might have expected. Laurinaitis has quickly become the face of the franchise, with all due respect to Jeff Fisher's mustache. A cornerstone player, Laurinaitis has been a touchstone of promise since his rookie season in 2009, when the Rams went 1-15.

Like a number of players on the Rams, Laurinaitis has been good, but is yet to reach his full potential. That's what the new coaching staff is here for.

As for the fans, well, they were naturally pretty pumped about the news. We asked our Twitter followers to chime in @TurfShowTimes:

@turfshowtimes freaking pumped

— Nate Atkins (@Natkins42) August 16, 2012

@turfshowtimes STOKED! EXCITED! ID BECOME A CAJUN LIKE @3k_ IF HE SIGNED TODAY

— Tyler (@chonbon15) August 16, 2012

@turfshowtimes: Rams fans, tell us how you feel about the team nearing an extension with James Laurinaitis? Great Move!

— MikeTwoTimes (@Mike_Luvv) August 16, 2012

@turfshowtimes no one deserves a pay raise more than james

— Brent Lancaster (@lannyosu) August 16, 2012

@chonbon15 @turfshowtimes I think JL is adequate. Not great. However, I will send him a muffin basket if proved wrong.

— Laurie Brown (@lbrown1213) August 16, 2012

@turfshowtimes Cool. Still hasn't made me renew my tix yet. Have had seats since 02 season. Paid to see a lot of losses.

— Brad Lee (@GTBradLee) August 16, 2012

@turfshowtimes Live it! He along with Chris Long are my two favorite Rams it would be nice to see them locked up.

— Kyle Dallman (@Krdallman) August 16, 2012

This last one really sums it up.

@turfshowtimes If I say, "I just peed a little," does that explain it well enough?

— ChadisRad (@Chad_Zilla) August 16, 2012