Mychal perez: Hey jim

what do u think about the move to the west coast rumor??

Jim Thomas: Nothing to it.

Billy C: Congratulations Coach Linehan . I am happy for you & our Team . Jackson looked like Lawrence throwing that TD pass in the Super Bowl . But I must ask where has this intensity been all year ? Why did we go 34 to 7 & then let them back in the game in the 4th ? I know eat up the clock but 1 more TD & a 2 point (hard to do) would send us to overtime . Thanks Dane for recovering that onside kick .
Where were those deep patterns all year ?? where was that aggressiveD all year ?? We should (Could have) been 4&5 0r 6&3 . Its not just injuries that held us back . It was bad drafts & tentative coaching that did us in . Not all "wrong" calls but lack of motivation and mad dog desire to Win .
We had Motivation & strong Mad Dog desire to win Sunday and it was great . If we had it all year WOW . Will we have it next week ? I hope so . Nothing would make me happier than to say "I was wrong about Linehan / hes a RAM Coach ."
A great sign / a sign nobody should miss / the biggest + of the day was Marc Bulger giving the game ball to Coach Linehan and he didnt do it all on his own ,
Maybe just maybe the guys are rallying around "The Coach" . Maybe the Fire is starting . Maybe a family in being born . No individuales but a team . Guys playing (at least some of them) not just for the money but for the fun & love of the game . Some of the players get it now . Some woke up .
is a Great start but its just a start . The Team can give up ."Were 1&8 we won one / so lets just mail it in now" Or we can kill ourselves and maybe still loose anyway . What Rams will we see ???
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages & ages hence
2 roads diverged in a yellow wood
&I took the one less traveled by
& that made all the difference"
I think Mr Frost was a Coach ..... Billy C Old School Ram Fan

Jim Thomas: Billy--I've often wondered, even wondered aloud on the radio, why this team doesn't play with more enthusiasm. And by that, I'm not saying the players weren't trying, or they weren't intense. It's football. It's supposed to be fun. And for whatever reason, there was more bounce in the players' step during the practice week, and they looked more energetic during pregame. You could sense it. In fact, I almost mentioned it on the air with Howard on the pregame show. Anyway, I have no idea where this has been all year, and no idea how long it can last. I wouldn't have believed 34-7 had I not saw it with my own eyes.

Mark: What's with the change in offensive philosophy? the passing game looked more like it was based of Martz's principles - DIG routes, skinny posts and quick slants as hot reeds off blitzes . . . not those goofy one yard button hooks. This was the first game in Linahens era that he seemed to TRULY put his playmakers in position to make plays. First game he really worked the WRs in the middle of the field.

Granted, the Saints "D" is nothing special and the O-line held up very well in pass protection, but this was a fun game to watch because the the pass routes actually had the WRs, TEs and RBs catching the ball going forward. Now add a few more drag/crossing routes and a some post-corner routes and Linehan might save his job.

I really hope he continues with type of game plan.

Jim Thomas: Well, we saw this against San Francisco in Week 2. Bulger passed for a lot of yards, but the Rams couldn't get it in the end zone much. Bulger also got hammered in that game _ 13 hits total including six sacks. We also saw it in the first quarter against Cleveland (or before Steven Jackson got hurt). You can't underestimate what Jackson does in the lineup. More eight man boxes and linebackers creeping up to the line of scrimmage to stop stop the run frees up the receivers on the outside. You could see it on the game tape against Cleveland. Once Jackson went out, the linebackers didn't bite nearly as much on the play fakes, and the Browns safeties played deep in a Cover 2 shell just daring the Rams to run.

RESPECT: Way to hang in there Jim

i questioned the hearts of these guys a few weeks ago (not necessarily the mainstays) because injuries dont matter come playoff time. i might just be wrong... however, i wonder how a 6th string offensive line unit ends up looking leaps and bounds letter than the 1st stringers. How much of the Rams success sunday can be attributed to how bad New Orleans defense is? i dont know the stats, and i dont wanna take anything away from our guys either, but, WHERE HAS THIS INTENSITY BEEN FOR THE PREVIOUS 8 GAMES??? I would like to see Hasslett continue to blitz, wouldnt you?

is it just me or doesnt it seem like #51 is everywhere, SOMEBODY GIVE THAT GUY HIS PROPS!!!

Jim Thomas: Witherspoon (#51) has played that way for the last month or so. He is really on a roll. And he's become more physical as a tackler and more effective (obviously) as a blitzer. There's no doubt New Orleans isn't an elite defense, at least when it comes to the passing game. (They had been very good against the run, however.) Plus, the Saints were missing three starters, all members of their front seven. So that helped the o-line. As I mentioned in an early post, I think we're all wondering where the energy has been all season.

Tom: Hi Jim,

I have a couple questions, why are the Rams carrying so many WR's/TE's on the active roster?

Also, how come Wroten was credited with a sack in the Second quarter?

Jim Thomas: I figured once Bruce and Dante Hall returned, the Rams would release a WR or two. But now, Bruce is injured again. It looks like Dante Hall will be back this week, but there are no guarantees until they see him in practice again this week. So maybe they keep all the wideouts another week. As for keeping 4 TEs (plus a FB in Owens), I have no idea. But with Aaron Walker out of the year with a shoulder injury, the Rams are now down to just three TEs.

Actually, Wroten should've been credited with a sack but it was changed to an aborted play because of a goofy shotgun snap by the New Orleans center. But Brees never dropped or even bobbled the ball, so I think the play will be changed back to a sack. The Rams have called the Elias Sports Bureau _ the NFL's official statisician _ to review the play, because the Rams think it should be a sack. By the end of the week, Elias will get back to them with a ruling.