Drew: Jim -

As always, thanks for the great forum. Any chance of having Stuessie and Goldberg back this week? If it is only Stussie, will he play guard or tackle? No disrespect to Leckey but I'd hate to see him go up against Rocky Bernard.

Thanks Jim!

Jim Thomas: Goldberg is on injured reserve. So he is out for the season. Steussie is back and it looks like he's starting, although I can't tell you at the moment whether it will be at guard or tackle.

LongIslandRam: Jim,

I noticed that Klopfenstein has gotten a lot of playing time as an H back lately. Why doesn't Bulger ever throw to him. He's been wide open at times. He appeared to be an excellent receiving prospect in college.

Jim Thomas: Klop has fallen so far on the radar screen, I think he has to re-earn (I guess that's not a real word) Bulger's confidence. I too, have noticed that Klop has been open on some underneath routes. But Klop dropped some passes in the preseason, and has dropped some in practice this year. I think Klop has to regain confidence in himself before Bulger does, if that makes sense.

Jimmy Joe: Since you started covering the NFL, what's been the biggest change. Has that been a favorable or unfavorable alteration?

Jim Thomas: No doubt, it's been the advent of free agency and the salary cap in the early '90s. It has put a premium on front offices making smart personnel decisions and drafting well, but has also made it easier for bad teams to get better fast. It also has made it more difficult for dominant teams to maintain their dominance because their rosters are more prone to getting raided by other teams. (This has made what New England _ and to a lesser extent, Indianapolis _ have accomplished all the more remarkable.)
Lastly, it has kept football writers a lot busier _ and football fans a lot more entertained _ in the offseason.

Charlie Connors: Jim,

Why couldn't Linehan protect Bulger better against the same team he played earlier in the season? I suspect we will seee much of the same again this weekend.

CC

Jim Thomas: It was disappointing that the Rams didn't do any better (in terms of sacks allowed) the second time around against SF. And it does make you wonder how they will do against a Seattle d-line that dominated the Rams last time around.

P.S.--I'm in the middle of making a couple of phone calls, so I'll be in and out on the forum for the next half-hour or so. But my plan is to get to all the questions. Thanks. . . . .

mike: Can this team make a quick turnaround next season? It seems we're just a good pass rusher, middle linebacker (Witherspoon to the outside), speedy WR, and a healthy offensive line away from being competitive for the playoffs. With the state of the NFC West these days the Rams may only be a healthy O-line away from the division title.

Jim Thomas: Sure they can make a quick turnaround. They're not that far away if they stay healthy. I would say OT, pass rusher, speedy WR, and safety help are at the top of the list (I'd put safety ahead of LB on the wish-list at this point.) Anyway, those are all big ifs, and that actually is a pretty big wish list. I think the Rams need to add some help on the interior line as well. They need a big offseason, and can't rely solely on the draft to get there.