JT Chat Highlights

selected & formatted by RamBill

Rams chat with Jim Thomas

http://live.stltoday.com/Event/Rams_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_53?Page=0

—Haven’t seen Bradford around Rams Park. And I need to check on the surgery.

—Sign Pryor? Probably not gonna happen after claiming Case Keenum on waivers. I don’t think there was much interest in Pryor overall.

—Williams has shown little of his playbook. And I know Schottenheimer has held some things back as well, based on what I’ve seen on the practice field.

—I can’t tell you specifically which QB’s they might be looking at, but they are still looking around.

—Never said that Watts is better than Mason. Watts had a better preseason than Mason. But Mason is fighting it a little bit. Doesn’t seem like he’s running with as much confidence. And not unexpected was the fact that he struggled with blitz pickup.

—My Parade Meter is at 7 wins so I’m not much different than ESPN. I don’t think 6-10 puts Fisher on the hot seat, but it makes it warmer.

—For now, Keenum is the No. 3. That doesn’t mean that won’t change once he gets to know the system.

—Back in March, Fisher said he envisioned Stacy as a “70 percent” back, meaning he’d get 70 percent of the touches in the backfield. But that was before drafting Mason, And then Cunningham has the good camp and preseason. I think the workload breakdown is still in flux.

—Brockers, Jenkins, Ogletree and Stacy all came from the RGIII trade. Also, Bailey who’s suspended for the first 4 games should be among the top 4 WRs when he returns.

—Jake Long has gotten lots of reps in practice _ I know that’s not the same as game reps _ but I think the plan is to have Long go the full 60.

—I think they can carry 3 QBs. I plan on writing about Davis for tomorrow’s paper. The Rams are very impressed with Davis’ improvement.

—Do you think Bradford deserves a chance to comeback with the team??? Sure.

—Was a concern at the start of the camp, and remains a concern in my mind. The safety play has been better than I anticipated. But lots of questions at corner, particularly with Trumaine Johnson out of commission for about a month.

—The Rams don’t have to cut anybody when Johnson returns, so sure, I think Roberson stays unless injuries at another position necessitates a move.

—Westbrooks A Future Starter? Sure. He’s got plenty of potential. I don’t think he’s big enough to play DT on an every-down basis, so I’d say DE.

—The Rams did win four of nine games with Kellen Clemens playing QB against one of the league’s toughest schedules. And on paper, Hill is the better QB. The big key is how much can all the young players improve and can Gregg Williams turn a decent-to-pretty good defense into a very good one.

—Well, Fisher thought he had a top tier QB in Sam Bradford _ that’s one of the reasons he took the job. I think you certainly can second-guess them, however, for not drafting a QB higher than the 6th round last May. I get the fact that it is a passing league, but all you have to do is look West to Seattle and San Francisco to see run-oriented teams that are highly successful. So it can be done that way.

—Robinson has struggled with pass pro _ something that has been mentioned before the draft as something he’d have to learn. Davin Joseph who is expected to start at RG, is a 2-time Pro Bowler who had a good camp and preseason. Rodger Saffold, who is expected to start at LG, is someone you paid $30 million-plus in free agency. So those are two pretty good options.

—I think Brockers, Langford, and Hayes will be fine. Not sure on Sims. We’ll see once they hit the practice field Wednesday.

—Had a long interview with Gregg Williams last week for a story in our Football Preview Section which comes out Sunday morning. He realizes there’s work to be done in the secondary, but sounds pretty pleased with where the group is at this point.

—In many ways, Quick looks like a different player. He’s playing with more confidence, catching those contested balls. But now he’s got to do it in the regular season, so a part of me still has to see it to believe it. I can’t say that Quick is yanked from the starting lineup after one bad game, but the Rams do have other options.

—Bradford to Return in 2015? That’s the $13 million question. I think I’d bring him back to camp. The Rams have gone this far down the road with him. . . .

—My opening odds: 60-40 Bradford is on the roster for the first preseason game of 2015.

—Donald certainly wasn’t as impressive during the preseason as he was on the practice field. I’m gonna say 6 sacks.

—With about half of the $100 million in Watt’s contact guaranteed. That sets the bar for Quinn, doesn’t it. But keep in mind, the Rams have him through 2015.

—Something Wrong with Robinson? I don’t think so. But obviously it indicates that the transition from that run-heavy Auburn system hasn’t gone as smoothy as the Rams would like.

—Yeah, but Demoff has planned for situations like Quinn’s contract. There is more cap room available in future years by design. And again, Quinn is under contract through ’15. So we’re talking two years out.

—Rob Boras is the TE coach. Some think he has coordinator’s ability.

—No doubt, Matthews was more of the plug and play. Under this regime, the Rams frequently seem to tilt towards projections, potential, and measurable over the here and now.

–The cap hit for cutting Bradford next year would be only about $3.6 million, but that would be more than wiped out by the saved base salary of $13 million.

—I’m not saying Watts has Marshall Faulk’s kind of vision, but he does see the field. And Watts doesn’t have anywhere near the speed that Faulk had in his prime. But Watts does have good instincts.