tater: Jim,

Mark Bulger's win and loss numbers have really taken a turn for the worst over the past few years. And, I don't blame him at all. He is a steady, solid quarterback!

What was his record, starting games, before and including the 12 - 4 season that we lost to Carolina in the playoffs? And what has it been since with the past three horrific years.

Again, I think he is one of the top 5 to 10 quarterbacks in the league but this fall, from my perspective, parallels the drop in the talent (and coaching) pool.

Jim Thomas: Including playoff games, Bulger's record as a starter in St. Louis is 39-32.
The Rams were 18-5 with Bulger as the starter in '02 and '03; since then, his record as a starter is 21-27.

JK: If the Rams stick with Linehan in '08, based on 2nd half improvement and injuries, how far will this organization be set back if he comes out and has a mediocre 2008? If he returns next year doesn’t the expectation level become playoffs or fired? Additionally, how does this alter his philosophy or approach to pre-season & general player handling?

Jim Thomas: Very good questions. Let's say Linehan comes back in '08, things don't go well, and he's fired after '08. It means, Holt, Little, Pace, Bruce (if he comes back in '08) are all a year closer to the end of their careers. And it's another year where fans would become further alienated and continue to stay away.
I'm not sure if '08 becomes a playoff-or-bust type of deal, but it will be pretty darn close to that. I think having an '08 season should alter Linehan's approach. On the one hand, you have to be who you are. Linehan can't suddenly try to be somebody he's not. On the other hand, Linehan and his staff _ however it's constituted in '08 _ must have a much greater sense of urgency. They must get out of the box quicker offensively _ much quicker in '08. They can't really worry about the future, or long-range planning.

JK: How realistic is it that Shaw steps up and hires a legit GM at the end of the season. If Armey is not assuming all the GM resposibilities than who is? The position of GM is "sort of" improtant and might need an individual fully dedicated to it. While that piece made Shaw look like he means business, it also made him look like he doesn't have a clue on how to run this one.

Jim Thomas: I assume you mean Softli and not Armey, since Armey no longer is with the team. It would be a major change if Shaw indeed hired a true GM, a person who really had final say on personnel matters. The Rams haven't done busy this way _ not really _ since Shaw and Zygmunt have been around. I don't know that Bernie's piece made Shaw look clueness. He just hasn't made up his mind yet. And there are no easy solutions to what ails the Rams.

Marcelo A Frustrated So Cal Rams fan: Marcelo, a frustrated So. Cal Rams fan. Jim, Do you believe Linehan will win just enough games to save his job, and do you think he has the leadership qualities (as a head coach) to win championships in the NFL? When Mark Bulger was asked last Sunday what went wrong with the Rams offense in the second half of the Niner’s game, he replied diplomatically “I don’t want to say we were playing conservative,” oh yes you did Mark and that’s exactly what happened. Linehan’s game plans can become so insipid, melba toast, predictable. He gets a humble lead and retreats into the safety of predictability, sucks his thumb and employs his prevent offense, playing not to lose. That’s what he did in the second half of Sunday’s game, and it nearly cost the Rams half of their victories this year! If he continues calling plays like this (and you know he will, this is how he thinks) he will perpetuate mediocrity at best, or worse, long ugly streaks of football misery (e.g., last year’s four consecutive losses, or this year’s 0 for September and October). That would be bad enough but the other thing he might accomplish with his banal play calling is kill Mark Bulger! Mark is a nice guy, he’s young, he doesn’t deserve to die.

Yes, I understand that half of our offensive line are guys who were selling beer and peanuts in the stands last week, but the Niners pass rush is feebleness personified. Linehan is so timid, so afraid to be creative that the pathetic Niner’s defense could tee off on Bulger as if he were a talking dummy. In the second half the San Francisco d-line looked liked the second coming of the Fearsome Foursome, with Bryant “Geriatric” Young looking like the incarnation of Deacon Jones – I think he’s a couple of years older than the venerable Deac. Please!! Is Linehan the beneficiary of Mark Buger’s life insurance policy? We may have crossed the line from simple ineptitude to attempted murder this season. I think this needs to be investigated.

I realize Linehan is a nice person. Woop-tee-doo! My pharmacist, a timid, really conservative, extremely organized man who loves football is a nice guy too and we get along swimmingly! Why, because he knows he belongs behind a hermetically clean enclosure and not on the sideline wearing a coach’s headset. Maybe it’s time Scott Linehan move on to a job that suites his skills best, a job where he doesn’t have to inspire or be creative, but simply dispense prescribed amounts of little things, and keep an area clean and tidy. He would be so good at that! Perhaps wearing a nice white lab coat and counting pills would suite his disposition better than pretending to be a head coach and collapsing my Rams into oblivion! You watch, this really nice guy will win just enough games to keep his job (because John Shaw is a bean counter and doesn’t know his elbow from a football), and next year we’ll have to suffer through yet another dismal collapse. Let’s get a pool going, which month (or two) will Linehan completely fail to inspire and prepare the Rams in 2008? Your guess is as good as mine.

Jim Thomas: Geez, from reading your post I would have thought the Rams had lost the past two games. They WON the games, Marcelo. Did you notice? And had the Rams gone bombs away downfield with the lead against San Francisco, how many times do you think Bulger would've gotten sacked behind that pass blocking? Ten times? Twelve times? The Rams have finally gotten some two-score leads here the last three games (I throw Cleveland into the mix). They must learn how to finish better. They must execute what's called the 4-minute offense better (the opposite of the 2-minute drill). But closing out games includes the defense as well as the offense. The defense gave up fewer than 100 yards through three quarters against both New Orleans and San Francisco, and didn't execute the "prevent" very well in either game.

Pick 25: Looking ahead to Sunday, I'm hoping the players and coaches treat this game as they did the Saints game. I mean, we're 0-4 at home!

Clearly, Linehan prefers to treat each game the same, but facing a Division rival at home must get the juices flowing. I wonder if that kind of feeling, like the "bounce" of last week shows. Or will show, once they get back to practice.

So far, Linehan's team hasn't beaten a winning team, including last year. This is the time for them to start.

Jim Thomas: Amen.