rams26: Hello Jim -

How would you describe the relationship between Haslett and Saunders? It was reported in Haslett's first practice last week that he was telling the offense to step it up. I thought Saunders was a fiery coach already that was usually telling the offense those types of things. Why would Haslett have to get involved? Was Saunders subdued when Linehan was around, or is there a conflict between Haslett and Saunders?

Thank you!

Jim Thomas: Well, I think it's Haslett prerogative to get involved now that he's head coach. I think he and Saunders get along well enough.

Gary Nguyen: Jim,

What do you think of the Rams' chances of drafting for major offensive line help in the first round with Left Tackle Michael Oher and Center Alex Mack for 2009? Because if the Rams don't have a true center to make line calls, their offense is going nowhere and teams will stack the box against them.

Jim Thomas: I haven't even begun to study draft prospects, but there's no doubt the Rams need help at both tackle and center. Even on a roster that needs help at a lot of positions, I think those would have to be priorities either via the draft or free agency.

Tim: JT -
Other than RB - is there a position where the Rams have even adequate talent? It's alarming. In my opinion- The O-Line, QB, WR, and TE are all subpar. The D-Line dones't get much pressure, the linebackers don't make plays, the DB's are getting torched, and the Safety's are out of position.

Is there any hope???

Our kickers are very good. But, that's not much hope.

I guess the bright side is they can draft ANY postion next year, and that person will play.

Jim Thomas: No doubt, the Rams need help all over the board. But I think they need to have this season play out to have a more precise idea of where they need the most help. For example, can the squeeze out another season or two from Pace and Little. Same with Holt, who's contract expires after '09. Will the young receivers (Avery, Burton) show enough, or should the Rams consider going back to WR in the draft (Maclin?). Will Long show enough as a rookie, or should the Rams consider another pass-rushing end to eventually replace Little. And what about cornerback, where Ron Bartell's contract is up after this season, Hill is slumping, and Brown is in limbo. At safety, is Chavous done? And should the Rams re-sign Atogwe, who's contract is up after this season?

rams26: Hello Jim -

Another question. How would you describe the mood of team at Rams Park since Linehan has been fired?

Thank you!

Jim Thomas: Some breaking news unrelated to your question. The Rams have released Eddie Kennison, the veteran wide receiver. Barring an unexpected injury in practice, I would expect them to promote Derek Stanley from the practice squad by the end of the week. Still nothing up on Fakhir Brown. The Rams have signed WR Nate Jones (U. of Texas, was with Minnesota as undrafted free agent during camp) to their practice squad.

The mood at Rams Park is good. Everyone was under a lot of pressure in the days and weeks leading up to Linehan's dismissal. There seems to be a collective exhale.

davulture24: Everyone is talking about the Rams being 0-4 and how horrible it would be for us to be 0-8. Did many people actually expect us to be more than maybe 2-6 midway through the season? I was hoping for a win or two, but realistically I was just wanting the Rams to survive the first eight games. We have only lost one game within the West and still have a huge chance to pull out several wins within our division. No, we are not going to the Big Game, but with a few upsets within the division we can still have a successful season. Wouldn't you agree?

Jim Thomas: Well, it's not so much the four losses, but is the way the Rams have lost all four. By lopside margins. Even with the good play against Buffalo for 2-plus quarters, the Rams still fell apart in the fourth quarter.