Matt Moran: Hi Jim,

One of my favorite Rams to watch during the preseason was Jon Alston. You wrote a nice article on him last week and placed him in the "safe and sound" category prior to cut-down day. Please help me understand how Alston did not make the final roster. What more did he need to do? Did the Rams really waive him to make room for a 4th tight end?

Thank you,
Matt Moran
Portland, OR

Jim Thomas: As I mentioned in an earlier post, every year I seem to miss one "safe & sound" and Alston was my miss this year. I'm surprised. He and his agent both thought the Rams were joking when they told him he was cut. McGarigle played his rear end off against KC, and Alston made one 55-yard mistake too many against Kolby Smith. The Rams waived Alston to make room for McGarigle and LB Quinton Culberson. They were able to keep a fourth TE because they kept only 1 FB.

bubbaramfan: TY Mr. Thomas for taking our questions.
I've been keeping a close eye on the Safeties play during training camp and pre-season. They seem soft against the run and not very fast. Do you think Todd Johnson has a chance to start over Corey Chavous, and do you think the Rams are looking for help at Safety? I see this position as a real liability. Is Jerome Carter making any progress?

Jim Thomas: Chavous is a solid player, and a great leader, but obviously he's nearing the end as he enters his 10th NFL season. Carter looks a lot bigger to me this season _ he looks almost big enough to play LB. But he was fast enough to run down KC's Kolby Smith from behind on that 55-yard run. Still, Todd Johnson and Carter strike me more as strong safeties. I'm not sure if the Rams have a true free safety backing up Atogwe. Johnson, I think, would be a very solid box safety _ playing run defense _ I'm not sure he runs well enough to start over Chavous. I rate the Rams as a C+ at safety right now; the grade goes up if Atogwe continues to progress like he did over the second half of last season.

John: What is your biggest concern about the 07 Rams?

Besides the obvious key players, where would a bad injury hurt the team the most? Another way of asking this question is where are we weakest in depth?

Jim Thomas: My biggest concerns are relatively unchanged from the start of camp. Are the Rams good enough defensively, particularly against the run? Are the Rams good enough on special teams? I think Dante Hall will be a clear upgrade _ he's not the Dante Hall of a few years ago, but he's still much better than what the Rams have been trotting out lately. The coverage units, however, remain a concern to me. I'm going to have to see it to believe it in terms of coverage.
Obviously, the Rams can't get one of their starting OTs hurt. For the first month of the season, minus Fakhir Brown, they cannot afford any injuries at cornerback.

flaram: Hi Jim,

Do you see the wheels of a trade happening with the overstock of TEs (4) plus one FB, also seems like the same situation at DE (5)?

ThNK Shane

Jim Thomas: Well, it's hard for me to see the Rams keeping 5 DEs for an entire season. But what could happen is that when Brown comes off the suspended list after four games, one of the DEs goes. As for the 4 TES/1 FB, I think if Conwell's healthy, he will replace one of those guys. As much as the Rams use TEs, I don't think 4's too many, particularly with only 1 TE. (Last year, the Rams kept 3TEs and 2FBs. Keep in mind, too, that Byrd probably is a suspension waiting to happen due to his two legal issues.

Tom: 1) The loss of Todd Steussie was a cruel blow. Do you believe the Rams feel they can stand pat, or will they aggressively pursue a good replacement even if it costs a mid round pick in next years draft? If something were to happen to big O, I shudder to think what would become of our season. What is your view on this?

2) The pickup of Pittman on the face of it appears to be an upgrade over our #3 rb if the criteria is strictly running skills/ability. However, Minor was brought on board for his special teams prowess perhaps as much as his ability to be a change of pace guy or 3rd down back. Does the acquisition of A.P. mean Minor is expendable, or even Hedgecock for that matter? I don't know much about Pittman beyond his obvious skills as a rb, is the guy a decent special teams player as well? Thanks in advance !!

Jim Thomas: One of the curious things about the aftermath of the Steussie injury is that the Rams kept neither Jeremy Parquet or Ken Shackleford on their practice squad. Shack, remember, was an '07 draft pick (6th round), but he didn't look close to being ready to contribute and was hurt as well. Parquet, I thought, had a pulse. He was an all-NFL Europa player in the spring for what that's worth. The Rams really do need to find a third tackle, whether it happens this year or not, I'm sure it will be a priority for the clubs.
As for Minor, his main value is special teams. So I think he's safe. I don't think Pittman is a threat to Hedgecock, either. Pittman has no experience on special teams _ to my knowledge, he wasn't a kick returner in college, either.