PhredRam: Hi Jim,
Thanks for answering questions again.
Is the disc injury to Jackson something that could bother him
throughout his career?

Jim Thomas: A bulging disc is a lot more treatable than a herniated disc. But it has to be concerning. Maybe the Rams have to think about drafting a running back in '08.

RamFan in Seattle: Instead of complaining about this season, I'd like to offer my services to help the Rams.

I will be happy to join the team as a player. I've played every position in a high school game except kicker, so I am very versatile. I bring a rare combination hard-hitting defensive skills with excellent fundamentals and minimal flinching, plus amazing pin-point passing accuracy and tight spirals up to 11 yards downfield.

If not a player, I can coach the team. I coached a youngsters' (ages 11-12) team several years ago. We made it to the playoffs!

Better yet, I can be a player-coach for the Rams. Then I can blame that lousy excuse for a football player when I make a bad play, or I can scream about the horrible play calling and game strategy when the team goes nowhere. However, I expect that for the most part I will be commending myself for such flawless execution of my brilliant play calling.

All of this for a bargain basement of $2.87 million per year.

Where do I sign? Do I get my own parking space? Will Georgia invite me out for lunch? Do I get a free Rams hat?

Jim Thomas: Send your resume to:
St. Louis Rams
1 Rams Way
Earth City, Mo. 63045

--Attn. Jay Zygmunt

Stef Samoy: It's obvious that the Rams only have a shot at coming close in winning games if Steven Jackson is on the field for 4 quarters. If you look at the first game of the season..... sure Jackson fumbled twice.. which.. pretty much cost us the game.....but before that fumble... we were still in it.

Take Jackson out - then it's open season on Bulger and the receivers. Which (I feel) has happend to the season. Which is why we're 0-8 right now. Which is why Bulger threw some arrant passes and looks nothing but uncomfortable in the pocket. Which is why Linehan is using conservative plays because Leonard is not a feared running back and playing smash mouth football is out of the question. Take Jackson out - and this is what we get for the 2007 season.

Defenses are licking their chops at Bulger knowing that Jackson is not out there.

I say give Linehan a chance next season. Let him suck up this season. Go over the mistakes...go over the drafts...go over free agency... and hopefully he can find a way to start winning games even if there is a chance that JACKSON may go down. Which is (obviously) possible. Leonard is a great back for a rookie. I hope he'll be more than that next season. Threat.... should be on his "to do" list for next season.

Angry fans need to relax. There was a spark there from this past game. The spark was JACKSON. The link in what keeps Linehan's offense explosive. Take the link out...... and good luck in finding a WICK for your explosive offense.

As far as DEFENSE...... that's a whole new topic.

I STILL SAY - WE SHOULD GO WITH THE THROW BACK UNIFORMS!!!!

Jim Thomas: There's no doubt defenses play the Rams differently with Jackson in there. They respect the run more, which frees things up for the wide receivers. As good as the Rams looked early, keep in mind this was the league's 32nd-ranked defense.

James in Little Rock: Hi Jim - Appreciate your time.
What is the deal with throwback jerseys - most teams in the league use them as revenue producers and a way to highlight their history. I would most love to see the old Blue & Whites from their LA days with the Fearsome Foursome. I feel that the Rams ownership has compromised their history to some extent after the move - in other words, what happened in LA stays in LA. I find that unfortunate. I know that you were going to ask about throwbacks, so this is a reminder.
Second, with all of the injuries on the Oline, I am a little surprised that Fry remains on the Practice Squad - is he making progress toward the active roster? Is he just not as good as the street free agents at this point? What's up with Fry?

Last question - is there or is there not a Rosenbloom that is actually in the line of succession before Kroenke and is he interested in owning the team? The male Rosenblooms presided over a winning program.

Thanks again

Jim Thomas: 1.) I finally asked someone in the organization about the throwbacks. You have to get league permission to wear throwbacks, and there has to be a lot of lead time. The request has to be made before the start of the season, and the Rams haven't made that request. They haven't really even talked about throwbacks since Mike Martz was head coach. And which throwbacks do you go with? The white and navy blue of the '60s Rams? Or even the canary yellow and blue of the '99 Super Bowl champisonhips Rams?
2.) Fry is making progress. The Rams are working on signing someone off another team's practice squad. If that doesn't pan out, I think they might elevate Fry.
3.) Chip Rosenbloom, Georgia's son would be the heir. I don't know what kind of estate planning or tax ramifications would be involved however, if he took over. He's not around the club much at all. He's a movie producer _ the kids' movie Shiloh is one of his works.

Murat from PA: Jim;

What a big contrast between the 1st quarter and the rest of the game. Wouldn't you agree with me that the Linehan regime has given us this inconsistency including about 8 games in the middle of the last season? Don't you think that this is a bad team because bad teams find ways to lose as we witnessed on Sunday? With so much talent on hand, doesn't the blame for this team fall on the shoulders of Linehan, despite the injuries?

Murat

Jim Thomas: Well, I think at the end of the day, it may come back to bite Linehan. Even with all the injuries _ and it's been an unbelievable run, particularly on the offensive line _ if the team had been able to scratch out two or three wins (SF, Arizona, and Cleveland were all very winnable) _ I think there'd be much less heat on him. That's why I think these last eight games are very important for him, particularly if the team stays relatively healthy. (Jackson, the skill players, etc.)