ramsfan1974: Hi Jim,
I live in california and from here I see the Rams play hard and with intenssity the WHOLE game. What is your opinon on the coaching so far? Who do you think will start Sunday Boller or Bulger,? I thought the Rams made a made the most progress Sunday as a complete team. I see progess every week. Do you agree? Thanks for keeping us updated. Have a great week.

Jim Thomas: It's hard to see progress when a team loses by 28 points. The mistakes continue to kill this team. And although I believe Spagnuolo is a good coach, ultimately that comes back tto coaching. Bulger will start, providing he has no setbacks with his shoulder during the week.

keithv: JT, since St. Louis has bidders on the Rams, will Chip only sell to individuals that will keep the team in St. Louis for the long run? In your opinion, are the Rams going to be in St. Louis for many years after the 2014 season? Thank You.

Jim Thomas: Keith, I think Chip Rosenbloom's intentions are good. But I can't sit here and say categorically that the team will remain in St. Louis in perpetuity.

Rich: Jim

Thanks for all you do for the Rams and their fans! What are your thoughts about Dahl? He seems to be around the ball a lot!

Jim Thomas: Dahl has been a pleasant surprise. Not only is he around the ball, he has shown himself to be a sure tackler. The only drawback is he has been nicked up a lot in St. Louis (hamsring/concussion).

tw: With the 1st pick in the 2010 draft Rams take Sam or Colt?

Jim Thomas: Why not Tebow?

joedirt1955: Mr. Thomas,
Besides the Rams, who is your favorite team/ who do you root for?
Thanks, -legend of dirty joe

Jim Thomas: The Oakville Jr. Tigers 7th grade team, featuring Roger Thomas at right tackle.

CSWest: I've read several comments stating that Chris Long is not performing like a #2 overall pick.

Is he being criticized unfairly, though? I thought I heard that in the draft he was selected, there wasn't really anyone in the draft that would wow anyone and transform a franchise. Could you tell me if I have this right? If this is the case, maybe the expectations for Chris Long can't be reached since he really isn't a #2 overall pick, but more like a second or third rounder that just happened to be in a bad draft class.

Speaking of which, is the draft for next year shaping up to have potential franchise players? Or does it look like another weak draft? Or is it too early to tell at this point?

Jim Thomas: When you draft a defensive end No. 2 overall, there is some expectation that he will sack the quarterback. Long is playing he run pretty well, but the sacks aren't there. Long realizes this. I do think when he came out the overall expectation was that he would be a very good player, but not a superstar. It's way too early to declare him a bust.
The problem with making draft projections before January is we don't know which underclassmen are coming out. That always changes the top half of the first round dramatically.

Thomas: Hi Jim,

Where do you think the biggest hole on the team is?

And how is Flajole and Shurmur doing?

Is the defense and offense taking longer to learn?

Jim Thomas: Playmaker, difference makers on both sides of the ball. Most notably wide receiver, pass rusher, shutdown corner. It's tough to pass judgment on Flajole and Shurmur at this point because of the overall talent level they have to work with.

fsu1uf2: Is this the best worst Rams team you have seen?

Jim Thomas: Five games in, it's shaping up as the worst.

Matthew Jauregui: GO ARMY!!

I'm sure you are proud of your sons and their commitment to such a great institution. We really miss Coach Ellerson here in San Luis Obispo and his double-eagle flex defense, he was a good find for Army. Too bad the Rams didn't draft Cal Poly Ramses Barden, he would have been a nice fit for their offense.

I've been a Ram fan going on 40 years and one thing that I have learn in those years is patience's, Lord know the 90's taught me that. I have a good feeling about Spags and the direction he is going. I think the Rams D is going to be real special here in the near future, once they figure out how to put it together for 4 quarters. I think the offense will need all year to feel comfortable in their schemes. For all you "half empty" type of fans, hang in there, the future will be better. Let's just hope it doesn't take 9 years like the last time this happen.

GO RAMS!!!

Jim Thomas: Army is making strides under Ellerson. Their 3-3 start is the best for West Point since 1996. They're starting to throw the ball more on offense, and Saturday's overtime victory over Vanderbilt was a thriller. I watch as many games as I can on the CBS College Sports Network. Jason Sehorn, the one-time Rams, does the color commentary. And I always look for my sons in the stands when they show shots of the corps of Cadets.

As for patience with the Rams, I realize what you are saying. But that paience has been sorely tested because the franchise has lost 32 of its last 37 games. The team is playing hard; I don't think anyone doubts that. But at the moment, they look as far away from getting over the hump as ever. In a league built and designed for parity, it's mind boggling to see a Rams team outscored 146 to 34 in five games. That's an average score of 29-7.

Dan: Thanks for taking our questions Jim! If the 2010 season is 'uncapped' (which appears very likely), would teams like the Rams be able to cut players next season without worrying about dead money?

Jim Thomas: Exactly. Under those circumstances it wouldn't affect them under the cap because there would be no cap in 2010.

FMulder: Jim: I know Jason Smith is coming off an injury but assuming he is back to 100% don't you think he at least needs to be starting at ROT? He is the #2 overall draft pick. Either the Rams knew when they drafted him that he would need seasoning and therefore aren't surprised he wasn't ready to start or they were disappointed with his development so far that he couldn't beat out Goldberg. I would think on a winless team building for the future the overall #2 would be starting. Other teams are starting OLineman taking much later than Smith.

Jim Thomas: We'll see what happens this week. I don't think Smith has been quite ready until now.

FMulder: Jim: Are you surprised Grant isn't starting at LBer over a guy they just only recently signed?

Jim Thomas: A little bit. Grant has some size and pass rush skills. He was slowed for a while by a knee injury, but seems to be over that now.

bfulton: What was Checketts thinking? Why didn't he anticipate this controversy? I know it's hard to put together three quarters of a billion dollars but it's harder still to win an NFL franchise. How long before Limbaugh is jettisoned?

Jim Thomas: It does make you wonder, doesn't it.

Steve: jim, i have only caught the green bay game on television. the rams looked competitive in that game. although i didn't see any of the games, the stats in the games vs the 49'ers and vikings weren't bad, certainly not as bad as the scores indicated. i was ready to begin gathering slogans for the 0-16 t-shirts. but i'm encouraged. consider the points our OFFENSE is giving up or fumbling away and the rams are close. should i hold off on the 0-16 slogans?

Jim Thomas: Let's see what happens in Detroit on Nov. 1 first.

OCRich: 1. Is the relative lack of blitzing attributable to the defensive coaching staff's lack of confidence in the CBs? Let's face it. Teams don't have to game plan for Bartell, Fletcher, Wade, King, and Q. Butler.
2. John Greco went from filling in for Barron at LT (and doing a fairly good job) one week, to being inactivated the next week. What happened?
3. Have the emergency 3rd QB rules changed? You used to be able to play your emergency 3rd QB in the 4th quarter. If the rule hasn't changed why didn't they give Null a shot in the 4th on Sunday?

Jim Thomas: 1.) I think that's part of it. Because, obviously, when you blitz that means less help in the back 7 for he CBs. And keep in mind Bartell has been playing hurt. He needed a shot of pain killer for his thigh injury last week against Minnesota.

2.) Yeah, I was impressed by Greco, too. A 49er defender shot around him on a pass rush on Greco's second play, but it was of no consequence to the play. I thought Greco did a very good job run blocking. But the Rams usually dress only seven offensive linemen, and when Jason Smith was on the game-day roster, that meant Greco was down.

dinodavis1: Greeting Jim From Sacramento,
I wonder what the Rams defense will play like if we ever get the lead in a ballgame? Also the Offense looked much better but the mistakes make you forget that when you are looking at the score. Allsaid I beleive we are getting better.
Thanks
Dino in Sacto

Jim Thomas: Yeah, it's unbeleivable. In five games, basically one-third of the season, the Rams have led for only 12 1/2 minutes! (Against Washington.) It's a lot easier to rush the passer when you have a lead.

icedram: Hey Jim,

I thought the playcalling by Shurmur was a huge overall improvement from this past sunday. Anythoughts if he's going to continue to open up the playbook this week now that Bulger is back in? I hope he continues to do so and atleast stretch the field against a shaky defensive secondary and worst pass rush in the league.

Also,where the heck chris long? I know he had pressure on campbell in the WAS game and was a big part of the sack on the 1 yard line but he hasn't shown up much. Is he lagging in developement?

Thanks Jim

Jim Thomas: I sure hope so. Jacksonville has one of the league's worst pass defenses _ I believe they're ranked 30th this week. And the Jaguars were torn up by Matt Hasselbeck last week.

sam_crecelius: Thanks for your time today!

Any chance Chad Henne (second round, I think) and his performance last night convinces some folks to lay off the get-a-QB-in-the-1st-round bandwagon? Kind of shows that we could use our first pick somewhere else, and still probably find someone a little later on. Or even give Null a shot next year...

Jim Thomas: That's a good point. And what if there's a stud pass rusher available, or a franchise-type receiver. That all has to be considered.

rams26: Hi Jim -

I just want to say that Spags has my support 100%. If people can't see that this team is improving they are blind. Yes. there are mistakes that need to be cleaned up. I think we could still do some damage in a very weak division. SF really showed how overrated they are!!!!

As always.............GO RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim Thomas: I see what you're saying. But the Rams have had two cracks against this very week division so far his season _ albeit both on the road _ and have lost 63-0 to those teams. (28-0 to Seattle and 35-0 to San Fran).

Crazy_Legs: Jim, thanks for your time. I�m beginning to wonder about Spags and co. The Rams don�t seem mentally prepared to play on Sunday�s. Penalties, TO�s, receivers running into each other, missed blocks etc. Is this on the players (or lack of talent) or do you think the coaching staff has to step up and take responsibility for a complete mess on the field. Thanks�

Jim Thomas: As I've said before, ultimately it comes back to the coaching.

Jim: Isn't the head coach in a bad spot with a head case player like Donnie Avery, doing dances after scoring when the team is trailing by over 30. He is so short handed that he can't bench him for a couple games, which seems to be what needs to be done to send a message to this guy.

Jim Thomas: I think Avery got the message Monday from Spags.

AnAmericanFlag: This past week or so has been a rough one for Saint Louis sports overall for reasons that I am sure we are all aware of.

Please highlight, in your opinion, an optimistic point about the Rams that will give us fans something to truly appreciate.

Thanks.

Jim Thomas: Laurinaitis is fun to watch.

Glendale: Do the coaches believe they have squeezed every bit of talent from this group?

Jim Thomas: No, I think they're still squeezing and will continue to squeeze for 11 more games.

Derrick J.: What more, if anything, do you know about Dave Stewart and Donald Watkins bid to buy the Rams?

Jim Thomas: From what I know now, neither is considered a serious candidate.

ballhawk32: Jim:
I know you'll probably hear about this alot today. But Rams are down 38-10, headed for 0-5, and Donnie Avery (who's been hurt, non-productive, and cost us the Redskin game) catches a meaningless TD and does a stupid dance. That was embarassing. Even ESPN Monday Night Countdown crew highlighted it last night to show how ridiculous it was.

Give me a break! Ok, so at least he apologized for it. I'm all players having fun playing this game, I played in college myself. But there's a time and place for everything. Had it been the game winner, by all means. But maybe this is why the Rams are doormats for the past years. Maybe this gets Donnie going, but if not, then Spags has to start making a statement ala Singletary (did you see what he did with Dre Bly?)

Thanks

Jim Thomas: On one hand, I'm old school on these things. That is, act like you've been there before and be there again. On the other hand, it doesn't really bother me to see something like Avery's dance. In the final analysis, who cares? Had Avery not danced and just handed it to the ref, does the score suddenly become 31-31 instead of 31-10. To me, a bigger concern would be: Why can't the Rams get the ball to Avery on a more consistent basis? Or Avery's two costly fumbles at the start of the season. But as you probably know by now, it did bother Spags. And his is the only vote that counts these days at Rams Park. And the issue was addressed with the team and Avery. I'd be surprised if you see anyone dancing again in such a lopsided situtuation.

RamFanInCA: Hi Jim,

Can you walk us through the thinking in bringing back Tim Carter over Ronald Curry? This isn't an age thing, since they are both the same age. I would just think that if we're going to bring in a 30 year old WR, why Carter over Curry?

Thanks!

Jim Thomas: Only a guess, but Carter will be the No. 5 receiver, No. 4 at best, and that's a position on the depth chart where you have to bring some value to special teams. I was mildly puzzled that Curry was cut in the first place, since he made a couple of nice catches over the middle in the preseason.

<3 STL: In a chat last week on the official Rams website, Billy Devaney said that he might have some news very soon regarding wide receivers. Do you think Tim Carter was what he was talking about and the Gibson injury just made it so we didn't have to cut anyone to add him?

Jim Thomas: It's possible, because I believe by then the Rams knew that Ruvell Martin's hamstring injury might keep him out a while.

Dave: It is obvious that at some point the rams will need to draft a quarterback of the future. Do they do that this year and take a Sam Bradford and Jake Locker(will probably come out). Or wait until next year for a guy like Jimmy Clausen who will probably stay one more year at Notre Dame?
Thanks Jim

Jim Thomas: That's the question _ about a $60 million question when all is said and done. That's why these last 11 games are very imporant for Bulger.

Ghetto Prez: why don't we just clean house and dump all high salaries at this point to position ourselves for free agency/the draft? We aren't going to win anything with this mess anyway. Plus, dealing our RB for draft picks shouldn't be out of the question as this team has zero talent.

Jim Thomas: In case you haven't noticed, he Rams did plenty of dumping in he offseason: Bennett, Chavous, Green, Holt, Pace, Tinoisamoa. There aren't many high salaries left to dump. McMichael and Little, for example, have contracts that expire after this year. If you trade Jackson, who's early in his contract, you're talking aboutt $9.5 million of dead money!

bigmatth67: Are the rams working with players on how to hold onto the ball? Why has this been such an issue?

Jim Thomas: Believe it or not, yes. Maybe they should go back to live tackling again, like in training camp.

Myles: What are the odds the Rams remain in St. Louis? Will it require a new stadium? Also, is it possible the dome could be revamped for a year while the Rams play in Columbia like the Bears played in Champaign during Soldier Field's facelift?

Thanks!

Jim Thomas: At the end of day, a few years down the road, it might all come down to what the federal mediator decides.

KOI: JT,

Do you really think the Rams have a chance this weekend against JAX? I don't like the fact that JAX is coming off their worst performance of the year. They will be very motivated coming home to show last week was a fluke. I have read the JAX players are mad, motivated and can't wait to see the Rams this week. Besides, even when the Rams were a good team, they always struggled outdoors on the road. I think it's 0-6 after Sunday.

Jim Thomas: The Rams have ZERO chance if they go minus-3 in takeway-giveaway differential like they have in EACH OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS. And if the Jaguars are made after a 41-0 loss, how mad should the Rams be after 15 straight losses and five this year by a composite score of 146 to 34?

JusticeBrian: Hi Jim, I bet you get this question often, but which college quarterback do you believe is the most complete and aptitudinal quarterback going into the 2010 NFL Draft? OR is it too early to speculate?

Thanks,

Brian.

Jim Thomas: I don't think it's too early to speculate given the team's quarerback play in recent seasons, and the surprising success of first-year QBs lately in the NFL. I just don't know who is the guy among potential high draft picks at that position.

RamFanInCA: As bad as the final score was, I can still pull some positives out of the game. We had more rushing yards and only 10 fewer yards in the air. Those turnovers! I went into that game realizing that, obviously, we were not the best team. But looking at the stats and considering the turnovers, we don't look to be THAT far away from competing with a very good team. Am I nuts?

Jim Thomas: It's a bottom line game and the final score was 38-10.

HP: Jimmy, Coach Spags keeps talking about progress. For this Sunday's game what part of the game should we watch for improvement (O-line, D-line, DB's, etc). I just don't see anything.

Jim Thomas: It's hard to see any progess unless the penalties, mistakes and turnovers drop CONSIDERABLY. You can gain 800 yards a game, but you're not going to win if you continue to go minus-3 in takeaway-giveaway differential.

HomeRunHomer: Jim,
What is the best way to contact Kevin Demoff?
Do we send him a letter via snail mail or is there an e-mail address we can send letters to?

Jim Thomas: I would just use snail mail. The address is: One Rams Way, Earth City, Mo., 63045

Wiley: I'm a little conflicted about being inspired by a 28 point loss, so I'll ask you:
Is the glass half-full, half-empty, or should we just start drinking straight from the bottle?

Jim Thomas: Pass the bottle and keep your fingers crossed that it will be better this week in Jacksonville.

jezamale: So Jim.....what happened to that big blocking fullback that we got for SJ...I rarely see him in a game...is he a ghost or just a guest?

Jim Thomas: According to my unofficial stats, Karney played 18 snaps against Seattle, 17 snaps against Washington, 23 snaps against Green Bay, and 13 snaps against San Francisco. So he's playing about one-third of the time. He appeared to block well against Minnesota. When you're trailing and trailing big, you have to go with a lot of three WR sets, which usually means the fullback is on the bench.

Fan in Fort Worth: Hello Jim

what grade would you give Witherspoon? i do not hear his named called a lot when i watch the games. The Ram's overall are playing considerably better against the run so he must not be doing too bad

Jim Thomas: I don't think I've watched Witherspoon enough for a grade. I do agree that he seemed quiet early. But he seems to be showing up more often lately. The Rams are blitzing him some, but not as much as under the previous regime.

super_dave: Is it time for the Rams to start monetizing players that won't be with the team that much longer, like Little? Wouldn't a playoff contender be willing to part with a 3rd rounder for a pretty solid edge rusher with a couple years left?

Jim Thomas: Did you see what the Jets gave up to get a player in his prime (WR Braylon Edwards) _ not much. I don't think the Rams would get even close to a third-rounder for Little. Because, for one, he'll be a free agent after this year, and for another, he turns 35 next month and may retire.

GoBlues!: Jim,

I know that those who see the team on a daily basis find this sentiment rediculous, but what is wrong at this point with giving Keith Null a chance? DeMarco Farr said on the radio yesterday that you don't make moves like that until you're mathematically out of the playoffs. While I gave up on any playoff notions weeks ago, I think that's also precisely why you do make a move like that. If you know that you won't compete with Bulger or Boller, then Null provides the only glimmer of hope, as unrealistic as that might be. Why not take this opportunity to see whether Null has any potential and could provide a spark. After all, he showed flashes in the preseason, albeit against backups.

Jim Thomas: I wouldn't have minded seeing Null at the tail end of the 35-0 loss to San Fran or the 38-10 loss to Minnesota. And see what happens. But as for starting him in a game _ I just don't think he's ready.

With that, I'll leave you all a little early this week. I've got a few phone calls to make. Appreciate the interest. . . .See you next Tuesday.