Gary Staat: I believe Larussa decision to stay says volumes that he believes the cardinals will go out and get some help.

But we need alot of help we need atleast to good bats and two significant pitchers pick up. Pitching has been bad the last two years and signing Suppan for what he got was crazy but we did not go and get anyone except KIp Wells and added looper and Wainright and Reyes. I don't believe and Reyes he has not the heart or the stuff and two years he has not shown nothing I thought getting rid of Harren at the time was crazy you put him Wainright,Carpenter and Harren and Looper as your fifth pitcher there's a staff you could win with.

I don't believe Mulder will ever get back what he had atleast not with us and now you & 8 bad.

We need a good coach. You can say what you want about Martzs but he made watching offense fun. And Hassellet don't seem to be able to get the job done either.

I don't want to lose our football team fans will come back if we get back our winning ways.

My opinion is release Linnehan now, he doesn't have what it takes to coach especially Head coach,Put Hannifan in there right now he could atleast do something with the o-line. Where's Dante Hall?

Jim Thomas: Can't help you out ont he baseball questions. I think you need to check in with Mr. Strauss, who I think is known as the Chatmeister or something like that, in some circles.
Jim Hanifan? Now that's a good one. Coach Hanifan is a local treasure. We all love being around him. But his coaching days are over. Dante Hall is still recovering from a severe ankle injury. He told me today it's feeling much better. But Linehan feels he's still doubtful for N.O.

James: Alex Barron been just OK?? He is a first round pick, first round picks are supposed to be better than just OK. He hardly ever maintains his blocks and I can't count the times he whiffs. The guy is just plain LAZY! It looks as if he is just going through the motions. With his size and ability he should be playing better. To me his attitude needs some serious adjusting by the Rams coaching staff.

Jim Thomas: I agree. First-round picks should be better than OK, particularly in their third season. And believe me, the coaches are trying to get more out of him.

Jay: In terms of "scaring off" head coaches, how can that happen by firing Linehan? He has been bad, period. And coach looking for a shot should have enough confidence to say "i won't make the same mistakes." There is a difference between losing and being beat, right now Linehan is losing. Whether it is a botched 4th down call, a special teams gaffe, or the inability to adjust a defense.

Jim Thomas: I agree, that most coaches will think they can do better. But not even superstar coaches can necessarily avoid injuries. And if you have your choice of jobs and one is a job where a coach got fired after an 8-8 first season _ which was two games better than his predecessor _ and then was axed only eight games into a second season in which the entire offensive line was wiped out, the team went a month without its Pro Bowl RB, two games without its Pro Bowl QB, was missing its top two corners for a month, went a couple games with literally no healthy receivers, and then lost its top DE to a toe injury _ would this be attractive to you? Wouldn't you wonder just a little bit about the patience and commitment of management?

Chris C: If you take in consideration all the injuries the Rams have sustained this season, is it fair to dismiss Coach Linehan after the season is over? Also after watching Bulger's play this season and the way he has handled himself, is he the quarterback that Rams need on the field to have sucess?

Jim Thomas: I think the final 8 games will have a lot to say about Linehan's return, particularly if the team continues to get relatively healthier.
I'm not ready to throw Bulger to the scrap heap. I don't think he's necessarily handled himself all that badly. From afar, I think he needs to communicate better with the head coach, and buy into the system a little more. But geez _ it was just an eye roll.
If you're factoring all that in, I think you need to factor in that the guy's playing with two broken ribs. And factor in his return against Cleveland after suffering a bruised thumb on his throwing arm.

John: Dear Jim, Once again, thanks for taking the time to answer the questions, and for your observations. This is just one of those years for the Rams, and by the way, for most of the League. Check out the Bay Area, Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Miami papers for consolation on a crummy pro football season. I cannot remember a season where so many teams were not even competitive with the top tiered teams. It seems this year has boiled down to two competitive franchises that cannot meet in the Super Bowl. After Indy and New England there are maybe five teams at a second level (Dallas, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and the New York Giants). There are fifteen really mediocre teams following that level before the bottom ten round out the league. I have followed the NFL closely for nearly fifty years and can never remember the League being so dominated by just two teams. Have you ever seen a season of complete domination like this with so many really bad teams? Thanks,

Jim Thomas: This is parity's league. But it does seem like parity has gone on vacation this year. Let's face it, barring a rash of injuries, New England and Indy in the AFC title game will be the Super Bowl. The actual Super Bowl will be anticimactic. I think this is the first time since 1996 that two teams have started a season 0-8.
But this is the Not For Long league. Almost every franchise has ups and downs. It's so hard to sustain things in the era of free agency and the salary cap. Which makes what New England has done, and to a lesser extent, Indy, all the more remarkable. The key is trying to minimize the valleys and maintain the peaks. The Rams obviously, haven't done a very good job of that. And the seed of their current troubles came in the poor drafts (2000, 2001, 2002) at the height of the Greatest Show.