mctyboy35: Last one Jim...

I know you've been covering the Senior Bowl. Keeping our priorities in mind. Which few players have been standing out to you personally? Which ones do you think fit the mold of a Spagnuolo led team?

Much appreciated.

Jim Thomas: You know I spent as much time tracking down coaching staff possibilities as watching practice. But a few observations: Cushing from USC may end up being a better all-around LB than Maualuga. Cushing moves very well and looks like he has some pass rush skills.
The quarterback class at the Senior Bowl wasn't very impressive. Widely varying views on Pat White. The Sam Houston St. guy (Bomar) has impressed some scouts. Overall, the entire skill position set isn't all that impressive at the Senior Bowl.
There seem to be a variety of centers, with pretty good size and pedigrees. Talked some with Alex Mack on Wednesday, the Cal center. He's an impressive guy. LB Clint Sintim (Virginia) and LB/DE Larry English (Northern Illinois) also flashed. Boston College's B.J. Raji is a beast.

bfulton: Now that the Rams have hired another passing guru (former QB coach of pass happy Eagles), can a Martzian like me claim victory and we all forget about a run-heavy offense coming to the Rams?

Jim Thomas: I still get the impression these guys are going to try to pound the football, but we'll see.

Tony: Please Jim, can we Rams fans get some sort of update on the upgrades to the Dome? We've all "heard" what is planned, but we want to "see" what is planned. Renderings, photos, sketches... SOMETHING! There must be someone in the Rams organization that knows what's going on. Releasing some updated information would only create more buzz!

Jim Thomas: Tony, You know I wrote about the changes a few weeks ago. (New scoreboard, etc.) But I don't think any sketches, drawings, etc. existed at that time because they bids were still out.

FLRamFan: Hi Jim, I'm confused. First off, I read where Coach Spags said he wanted to develop a power running game to utilize Steven Jackson...makes sense. Then you wrote that because Pat Shurmur is the new OC, "It’s also clear that the West Coast offense probably is headed to St. Louis." What's up with that? The principal feature of the West Coast Offense focuses on throwing short passes in the early portion of the game. The goal being to advance the ball three to four yards at a time to make first downs slowly, and by doing so, exhaust the opposing team’s defense. Basically, the running game is not utilized until late in the game. I don't think they can do both.

Jim Thomas: Well, there are different strains of the West Coast. And you can still run the football and use a controlled passing game. But I do see where it might sound confusing. We'll have to see how this fleshes out in the coming weeks and months.

Joey Huntington: What do you think the chances are of the Rams drafting playmaker Michael Crabtree with the #2 overall?

Jim Thomas: I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility if the Rams come up with an OT in free agency.