Dave: Hi Jim,

Thank You for all your replies for what it seems like to be a long season.

I have two questions.
1) I thought the offense would be more clicking by now but it hasn't and is this a surprise to you?

2) I am really surprised by the fans who keep on complaining about this team and should know it will take time to turn this team around. It won't be overnight. They way they keep on talking, it seems like the Rams should be in the Playoffs or Superbowl. That's not realistic.

Jim Thomas: 1.) I certainly thought the offense would be better, but the lack of proven wide receivers has proven to be a fatal flaw in the construction of this offense. Of course, things would've been better had Laurent Robinson not gone down with a season-ending injury. But both Robinson and Donnie Avery have had kind of a history of getting nicked up. It's great to have blockers, but you've got to have playmakers at the skill positions.

2.) Well I don't think anybody expected the '09 Rams to be a good team. But I think we expected better than 0-6, shut out twice, etc.

Johnny Tex: Jim,
Spagnuolo can try to spin it any way he wants, but there is no doubt they should have gone for the TD with 7 seconds on the clock. Even the lame announcers doing the game made the comment "what do the Rams have to lose, they're 0-5". It's was just a bad coaching decision. Also, what does it say about your defense when an end (Leonard Little) has way better hands than anybody in the secondary. Can one of our defensive backs catch a ball thrown at them! Just so frustrating....

Jim Thomas: I feel your pain Johnny Tex. Part of me sees the point about the 7 seconds being enough. But why not take the timeout earlier in the drive. It took 1 minutes 3 seconds to run the first two plays of the game-tying field goal goal drive. That's way too much.

Don: Do you think the Rams will trade Jackson? Or is this just rumors. And do you think we would trade for Bowe from K.C.

thanks

Don vincennes, In

Jim Thomas: Even disregarding the pros and cons of trading Jackson, or what you could get for him, the cap hit _ about $9 1/2 million of acceleration into this year's cap _ makes a trade financially impossible.

Jumbo J: Hello again Jim,

What are the chances any of these players being moved, and what is the most you think we could get for them?
Little
McMike
Witherspoon
Otogwe
Barron

Jim Thomas: I say it's unlikely. Little is 35 and may retire after this season. McMichael may not be back in '10 _ his contract is up _ but why do you trade a decent pass-catching tight end when you're currently so short at wide receiver.
Witherspoon and Atogwe seem to be the kind of mid-career veterans that you're trying to build around.
As for Barron, I'm not sure if the Rams can afford to re-sign him next year. His contract's up. But despite rumors to tthe contrary, at this point _ 1:30 p.m., or just 2 1/2 hours before the trade deadline _ I don't see him being moved.

john: Was there a runoff in effect that if the Rams ran a play with 7 seconds and were penalized, would the runoff be in effect thus eliminating a possible field goal? Also, please get Jason Smith at Left Tackle, this team is going nowhere, atleast let the line start to gel for the future.

Jim Thomas: Yeah, I believe there is a 10-second runoff.