Joe Stafford: Jim, kudo's to all the beat writers the post-dispatch during the Coach hiring. It was very refreshing to not have the espn-nfl network hype machine type of reporting here.

Jim Thomas: Thanks.

BrandonRAMS: Hello Jim,

Quick one, is Michael Crabtree really better than Jeremy Maclin? In what areas are they differant and the same? Who would you choose?

Thanks

Jim Thomas: Interesting questions. Maclin is faster and has return ability. Crabtree is bigger. There's almost always a transition year (or two) in the NFL. Maclin would give you more of an instant contribution because of his return ability. But with his size Crabtree might be more difficult to defend, particularly in the red zone. I'm not sure just yet who I would choose.

bjf: The Rams have a history of getting rid of excellent middle linebackers in their prime (Hacksaw Reynolds, London Flecther) if they find another one will they realize how important it is to keep him?

Jim Thomas: We can only hope. The Rams have gone through some MLBs since Fletcher left.

Chris: The Rams have had MLB issues ever since they let London Fletcher walk without getting anything in return. If they are able to address the O-line through FA (Gross/Brown) doesn't it just make sense to take Ray Maluaga at #2 if that is what you need?

I am sick of hearing he might not play on passing downs, or it is unheard of to take a LB that high. The Rams should make their own path and draft the guy that makes the most sense for what they are trying to accomplish.

Thoughts?

Jim Thomas: Chris--You just don't pay $50 million for a guy, if he's sitting on the bench on second-and-long and third-and-long because he can't cover his shadow.

El Bittre: I'm growing more and more concerned with these coaching hires, almost every one has an "unofficial let's fire him" thread by fans of his old team, and I'm not seeing a lot to them on paper except they are old friends of Spags. I'm also concerned that Spags listed "faith" as his first "pillar" is playing into these hirings... I assume this means faith in the football team, not his religious side... Or are all these coaches religious zealots forming some scientology St. Louis chapter!?! It would certainly explain why not one face of color is among these choices, which all joking aside is a legit concern.

Jim Thomas: Charlie Baggett, the new wide receivers coach, is an African-American. And let's see what happens with D-line, secondary, and RB coach.
I do believe that Spags meant faith in the football team and the overall philosophy, although he did make mention of his religious faith during his opening press conference.
Time to go. Thanks for the all the questions. Talk to you next week.