got2golfjk: Think they'll take a run@ Chris McAllister ?

Jim Thomas: McAlister has been in the league 10 years, turns 32 before the start of training camp, and played in only six games last year, spending most of the year on IR. So how much does he have left? How much will he want? And he has had some off-field issues. These are all things the Rams must consider before taking a run at him.

Chocolate Thunder: JIMBO,
Can't wait to see another poor draft and wasted picks.
GO RAMS!
Don't waste our time with new GM, new personnel..blah, blah, blah..
Sorry you have to cover these guys.
Have a Great Week!

Jim Thomas: Boy, are you the bluebird of happiness.

Petey123: Jim, have you heard any talk about a player caravan before the season, or anything to drum up interest to win the fans back before the season starts?

Jim Thomas: I think the caravan idea went out the door with Haslett.

Ed C: Jim,

To listen to Spagnuolo, the new Rams staff has no idea about the players they inherited and their going to have to depend on Devaney for this. Can it really be true? I mean they coached against them and must have watched a lot of film in game preparation. They must have broken down weaknesses and strengths. In some ways they may have better insight than the previous staff. I believe Spags had a good idea about the Rams players' weaknesses and strengths when he took the job. Don't you think they are really just waiting to see who becomes available in free agency whether they might want to come to St. Louis (and whether they will fit in the salary cap)?

Jim Thomas: I believe what Spagnuolo meant is he would have to rely on Devaney's opinion more than usual. Of course it's true. Unless teams are in your same division, you don't really get a very good read on players. And the Giants, for example, played the Rams way back in week 2. Philadelphia (Shurmur--offensive coordinator) played the Rams in week 1. Carolina (Flajole--defensive coordinator) didn't play the Rams last year.
This was part of the argument for retaining Haslett, remember? That he knew the personnel. Spagnuolo will catch up. He'll just rely more on the scouts and front office this year than he normally would.

Steve: what's the word around the league regarding mike martz? he doesn't seem to hold a job for very long these days, albeit, he has been with some losing teams/fired coaches. is it that he just can't get along with head coaches? or can he not call a balanced game? or, is there some other reason?

Jim Thomas: As you know, Mike is very opinionated and headstrong. He's also very talented. The Lions got noticeably better offensively when he was there. And got noticeably worse offensively after he left. San Francisco's offense got noticeably better when Mike was there. And he did what he did in Detroit and San Fran with average and below average talent.
But look around the league these days. Everyone's going with younger, cheaper coaches, who close practices, don't say a lot to the media, and don't seem to have much personality. It's as if the league wants robots as head coaches. Billick can't get a sniff. Haslett can't. It's an interesting trend.