There were many items on the agenda when Rams coach Jim Haslett met the media Monday, a day after the team's 10th loss of the season. Of course, one thing Haslett doesn't want to do is get in a war of words with running back Steven Jackson.


Recently, Haslett said it's likely that Jackson's injury could be attributed to his holdout. Then, following Sunday's game, Haslett claimed Jackson wasn't in the game much in the fourth quarter because he was "gassed." Jackson said, "I wish he wouldn't say that."


Monday, Haslett said Jackson "got sore" late in the game. He added, "I said this yesterday and it got blown out of proportion. He got sore about the 30th play and started dragging a little bit, but his conditioning is actually fine, he did a great job on that, but you could tell he hadn’t played in a month and he was a little sore. I commend him for fighting through it and trying to get in there in play. He did a good job when he was in there.”


If truth be told, the Rams didn't have the ball much in the fourth quarter, and when they got the ball with 1:50 remaining on their own 25-yard line, it was a pass-the-ball mentality.


Said Haslett, “The plan was to get him about 15-18 touches and then try to go on third down with (Kenneth) Darby and spell him with ‘Pitt’ (Antonio Pittman) when he needed a break. That was kind of the plan. I think he got 22 touches, so he kind of got a little bit more than we wanted, so he got a couple more than he was supposed to get. Then actually in the fourth quarter we were in nickel most of the time, so Darby took that stuff for protection.”


Certainly, having Jackson for even more plays will hopefully help the offense, especially in the red zone, which has been like forbidden territory for the Rams this season.


While Haslett was clearly disappointed in losing, he had to be relieved the game was competitive. In talking about tackle Orlando Pace, he also mentioned players that went hard, despite being injured. Pace was originally expected to miss at least two games and perhaps as many as four. At one point after he was injured, the team considered placing him on injured reserve.


Haslett said of Pace, “He came back this week and played well, especially in the passing game. He went against (linebacker) Joey Porter most of the time and Joey is second in the NFL in sacks and I thought he did a great job on him. It just shows you what kind of competitor he is. He’s a tough guy who wants to come out there and play. I told those guys that I appreciate it under the circumstances with our record, guys trying to come back that fast and get on the field and play, and he played well. I know he’s a little sore today, I saw him in there. He’s a little sore but I thought he had a good outing. I thought the offensive line did a good job in pass protection most of the day.”


Said Pace, “I just wanted to play. I haven’t played (an entire season) for a while. And when you are injured you have a new desire for the game and for the past couple years I have been injured. I just wanted to play. I think you have a greater love for the game once you have been out for a while and I think that’s where I’m at right now in my career.”


There has been speculation that Pace might not be back next season, so when asked whether he still can contribute in the future, Haslett said, “He does. He’s still efficient. He’s a good athlete and can still cover them up. He’s big and powerful. I remember playing him back in the younger days and obviously, everybody’s skills erode a little bit, but the guy still brings a lot to the table.”


INJURY UPDATE
*Haslett had another long list of injuries to report Monday, but nothing major: "(Defensive end) Victor Adeyanju hurt his neck, but he should be OK, he’ll be day-to-day. (Wide receiver) Keenan Burton’s knee, also day-to-day. (Wide receiver) Donnie Avery hurt his hip, we’re probably going to give him a day off, but he should be OK for the game. (Linebacker) Chris Draft will start running this week and hopefully he’ll play. (Cornerback) Tye Hill’s knee, he’s going to start running again this week. (Guard) Richie Incognito had a blow to the head and he was light-headed most of the game. It was on a field goal and he should be OK. Steven came through OK. (Wide receiver) Dane Looker has multiple things, he’s got a knee, a hand, a thumb, but he’ll also be all right. Orlando Pace came through OK and so did (linebacker) Will (Witherspoon). So, we came through it all right.”


*With four games to play, the Rams are in line for a top-five pick again in the draft. After Detroit at 0-12 and Cincinnati at 1-10-1, the Rams are tied with Kansas City and Seattle at 2-10. Oakland is 3-9. Ties in the draft order are broken by strength of schedule.


*For those that are wondering, the Rams will play out-of-division games against the NFC North and AFC South next season. At home, the Rams will play Green Bay, Minnesota, Houston, Indianapolis and the NFC South team that finishes in the same place as the Rams in the standings. On the road, it will be Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tennessee and the NFC East team in the same place in the standings.