First, a quick apology for the tardiness of last week’s mailbag. We had some technical difficulties but it’s been solved and we shouldn’t have any problems moving forward.

Bill Lowe

Flying in Sunday thru Wed. with my wife (she has a nursing conference at Union Station) what’s the chance to see Rams practice. I'm an Oregon State Alumni & season ticket holder, so you know who we root for on Sundays...Mr.Jackson!!!

NW: You should be able come on out on any of the days listed for practice. There are two practices on each of the days listed. Check the schedule on this site and check us out on Twitter at OneRamsWay for any changes. Hope to see you out here!

Tony Byers

Hey Nick, I have a cousin (J. Byers- Receiver) who is playing for a position with the Rams, just curious how he has been doing and what his chances are looking like?

NW: As an undrafted free agent, he’s facing an uphill battle for a roster spot but he could work his way on to the practice squad with a strong preseason. He’s had a few nice moments in the first week.

Byron Marks

Hi Nick.  I've been following the mailbag for a while now and feel I get the most and best info from it on my Rams. Thanks for all your efforts.

Since the start of camp I have been glued to my computer for any hints on the shaping of the team.  I've noticed that the right side of the "O" line looks to be building to a monster with Incognito, Jason Smith and our new center competing to knock defenders around.  In your opinion will the right side be the better point of attack, and if so what is your take on any preferences-abilities Steven Jackson might have for running right or left?  Second question:  It is now looking like Larry Grant is making a strong bid for first string beside his Ohio State teammate Laurinaitis.  Is this looking like a probability to you for the LB outcome, or is Grant just "taking his turn" for a bit?  Finally, I've been able to read nothing about Chris Ogbonnaya.  Do you have anything on how he is showing in the first days of training camp? 

Again, thanks for being "our source."

NW: It would certainly seem that any smash mouth type of attack would be well served to veer to the right. Those guys are maulers and love to get after it in the run game.

Grant is off to an excellent start right now and he is really going to push for that starting spot. I wouldn’t be stunned if he was last man standing when all is said and done in that competition.

Ogbonnaya looks good catching the ball out of the backfield and is willing to take on tacklers. Need to see him in a game before I can fully judge his running skills, though.

Brian Bennett

Hey Nick, I'm 26 and a long time RAMS fan from Anaheim. First of all I'm really excited about this year; Spags in my opinion was the greatest NFL acquisition over the off-season. He is intense and how he seems to focus is unlike coaches we have had in the past.

Question 1: There is lots of talk in the league about how we didn't fill all our holes we had and that it would take a couple years to fill those positions that we have holes in. So speaking on behalf of our defense, what holes did we not fill? Our line seems very up and coming with the diversity of Long, Little & Victor, Hole stuffers with Adam & Hollis. Our back field has young talent in Bartell, A playmaker in Atogwe, and a skilled Veteran. And our LB's are getting bigger, and have better teachers and have better defensive play calling. 

Question 2: Jamie Dukes of NFL network was saying we were not going to be a good run team because our tackles are more dancing (as he put it) tackles and not up the field runner type tackles. What would you say to his theory?

Bonus Question: Why does the NFL network never have anything nice to say about the rams J/K
Thanks for all your work and updates.

NW: To your first question, the Rams seem to have filled many of the needs on the defensive side of the ball but it still remains to be seen. How quickly does Laurinaitis adjust? What kind of jump from year one to year two do you get from Chris Long? How about the progression of Clifton Ryan and Adam Carriker? Can Tye Hill meet expectations? Those questions must all be answered at some point.

I’m not really sure what he’s talking about but I’m not sure how anyone can watch Jason Smith play and say he’s a “dancing” tackle. If anything, he’s the type of mauler and aggressive blocker that should excel as a run blocker. Barron has never been a dominant run blocker but he has his moments. I think based on what Jackson has done in the running game when healthy it would be foolish to say the Rams can’t be a good running team. I don’t know exactly what was said but that would be my response.

Thad Smith

Hey, Nick
I am writing from Afghanistan again and was reading about getting Hollis Thomas as a free agent. I think that is a great move for the rams because it gives us a big guy to eat up blockers in the middle and once in a while to make the tackle. My question is that with the addition of Curry (great pick up by the way) and Thomas (another one in my humble opinion), how are the players reacting to the 2 new additions and is the team coming together as a team in training camp. We all know it is a team sport and one man cannot win football games for us but the team could win the Super Bowl. That is what I want every year.

NW: I wrote about this a little bit yesterday as far as coming together as a team. It’s so hard to judge because it’s really an intangible quality. But best I can tell, these players genuinely like each other and believe in each other. Those additions have been welcome to the depth chart and on the field. Just remember, becoming a team is a process and it won’t happen overnight. But when it does, it should be pretty obvious to the naked eye.

William Convery III

Hey Nick,
May be in St. Louis for the home opener but may not have a ticket for the game. Where is the best place to watch the game (good food, atmosphere and lots of Ram fans)?

NW: I think you already know what I’m going to suggest. The Edward Jones Dome! Single game tickets go on sale at the end of the week. Why not try to be in the building for the start of a new era in Rams football?

Boyd Wiltsey

Hey Nick hope vacation time went well. Love reading your column and getting your point of view on things going on in the organization. My question is what is the likelihood that Curry plays opposite Donnie Avery by Week 1? And what strides is he making to working his way up the depth chart? Thanks Boyd.

NW: It would seem for now that Laurent Robinson has a good shot at holding down that starter role opposite Avery. Curry will battle it out for a roster spot and could rise as high as No. 2 but it’s more likely he will ultimately be working out of the slot, the position he has had the most success in his career.

Tom B.

Nick, I noticed on the Rams Twitter page, you wrote that Donnie Avery had a big TD catch. I love Donnie Avery. Can you describe the catch in more detail and are you impressed with what you have seen by him recently?

NW: Sure. Avery pretty much ran a straight go route and ran right by Ron Bartell, caught the ball in stride and scored. Avery looks outstanding. I don’t want to set the bar too high but the kid has star potential so long as he can consistently catch the ball.

Grant Smith

Is this really looking like the Dick V. era, or am I just imagining things?  I smell way more victories this year than anyone else seems to think.  I also think that the WRs could be a huge surprise.

NW: I wasn’t here for the Vermeil era but watched enough to know what you mean. There’s no doubt this team could surprise but let’s wait a little while and see how things come together in the next month or two.

Chris Bushnell

Hey, Nick I know he's had them for a long time, but don't you think the tats on Richie Incognito's arm are awesome? I just wish I had enough money to get my arm done like that.

NW: That’s a new one on me, Chris but yes Incognito has had some impressive ink done on his arm. Of course, it helps to have huge arms to make the tattoos really pop. I’m afraid I don’t have the guns to pull those off. By the way, he recently had some of them colored in darker so they look even more intimidating now.

Peter Soukenik

Hey Nick love what you have been doing. You must be skipping most quarterback questions; I realize that subject is touchy in the fan base. Please just answer this one for me. In your opinion where do you think Michael Vick will go?  Maybe to the Vikings where he would probably succeed the most. Or do you think he will end up somewhere else like the UFL?

NW: I’m not skipping anything. I just get tired of repeating the same questions and answers over and over. I think we all know this is an important season for Marc Bulger, I don’t know how else to explain it.

As for Vick, I really don’t know where he might land. It certainly seems he is having trouble finding any suitors. I think he’ll eventually get another shot but maybe the UFL would do him some good in the interim.

Jonathan Sanders

Hello Nick, I appreciate everything you do for the website, and enjoy reading your mailbag each week. How is the corner back position looking in training camp? Who do you think will start opposite side of Ron Bartell? Will this be Tye Hill's breakout year? How is Justin King looking after recovering from his torn ligament? Can Bradley Fletcher contribute a lot at the CB position this year as a rookie?

NW: It looks like Hill is the leader in the clubhouse for the job. He has looked solid in the opening days. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to have his long awaited breakout year.

King looks good and is proving why the previous coaching staff was so high on him. Fletcher seems to be the prototype for what a Spagnuolo corner should be. Should be a good battle among King, Fletcher and Jonathan Wade for the nickel job.

Riley Svikhart

Hey Nick, thanks for all your hard work. About the top 5 question, I think you'll love mine...

T Joe Thomas
DT Albert Haynesworth
S Ed Reed
CB Nnamdi Asomugha
RB Steven Jackson
The Rams offense is gonna be good this year people. With Jackson as the focal point, mine will be just fine. Love Thomas and hope we see his production in J Smith. It would be impossible to air it out against my secondary and Haynesworth is as scary as they get for Offensive Coordinators. What do you think?

NW: Hard to argue with that call though I still think if you are starting a team you need a stud quarterback. And I personally would rather have a stud pass rusher than a big defensive tackle. Still, hard to have too many qualms with your list.

Dustin Potter

One of the screaming problems last year was the secondary, I know injuries pushed some opportunities for depth guys to get some play, but where do you see the rams at with their secondary in 2009? Who are the top two starters and who is making a run at nickel and dime? Any surprises and depth going into the regular season? Past history has unfortunately proven that depth is needed in St. Louis defensive backfield. Thanks always enjoy reading the insight.

NW: It appears to me that the depth has gotten better and better. King continues to develop and has a chance to be a really good player. Fletcher really is the prototype and has starter potential eventually. Wade has improved. As of now, this group could go five deep at corner and not miss much of a beat unless it was Bartell who was to miss time.