Al Behrman / AP file

In the past two seasons, the only team Marvin Lewis' Bengals have beaten in their last three regular-season games is the lowly Detroit Lions.

Q: If Thomas Jones isn't the answer to the Jets' backfield problems, will that prevent a run to the playoffs?
--Gary, Albany, N.Y.

A: Definitely. The Jets are counting on Jones to help fill the considerable void left by the retirement of Curtis Martin. Last season, rookie Leon Washington was outstanding in his role but carried only 151 times, about half a normal workload for a No. 1 back. Washington will continue to complement Jones, but the Jets need an every-down runner. Jones is coming off back-to-back plus 1,200-yard seasons in Chicago. He had 296 carries last year and 314 the season before. This is no guarantee that he can make anybody forget Curtis Martin, but if he at least doesn't resemble the Thomas Jones of the last two seasons, the Jets will be in trouble.

Q: Will the Rams ever return to that high-powered offense of their Super Bowl days? They do have pretty much the same players.
--Nick, Lawrence, Kan.

A: But not the same philosophy. Coach Scott Linehan is not the Mad Scientist Mike Martz. Although both are offensive coaches, Linehan has a healthier respect for the running game and proved it by turning Steven Jackson into one of the best workhorse backs in the game. Under Martz, the Rams had Marshall Faulk, but employed him as much as a receiving threat as a running back. It wasn't that Faulk couldn't pound it. To the contrary, much of the criticism of Martz stemmed from times he ignored Faulk and refused to allow him to grind it out. But Jackson is more of a prototype power back than Faulk and allows Linehan to rely on a more conventional ratio of run to pass than Martz did. Martz loved to throw it no matter what. The result was an offense that was exciting and productive when it worked but failed to always properly consider field position and a sometimes overworked defense. The Rams, for example, used to lead the league in defensive takeaways, but Martz's offense also led the league in giveaways, canceling out the defense's work. Linehan's approach is more balanced. You should also know, however, that the Rams under Linehan still finished sixth overall in offense, fourth in the passing game, so it's not like he's entirely shut down the old Greatest Show on Turf.

Q: I've kind of an odd question. Does a team's past Super Bowl win(s) matter, or is it more a question of what have you done lately? I ask because my husband's fave team has won several Super Bowls in the past, but not since the 90s. He has friends whose fave teams have NEVER won a Super Bowl and his friends tell him that what happened in the past just doesn't matter, that it's all about today (one friend even went so far as to say the Super Bowl doesn't matter, but that's ridiculous considering it's what every team is striving for). I'd just like the debate to end. What do you think?
--Carol, Seattle

A: I'm afraid it's wishful thinking on your part to hope that any sports argument could end logically. Sports is nothing more than a difference of opinion. In your husband's case, I'd side with him in pointing out that at least his favorite team has won Super Bowls compared to his friends' teams, which apparently only hope to get to Super Bowls. Even Detroit Lions' fans can point out to Arizona Cardinals' fans that the Lions last won in 1957, whereas the Cardinals have won since 1947. Cardinals fans can argue all they want that their present team is better than the Lions, and although the recent record

Q: Why isn't spiking the ball by the quarterback intentional grounding?
--Lee, Mt. Laurel, N.J.

A: It's a specific exception to the rule, strictly a clock-stopping mechanism that makes the ends of games and halves more exciting. It wasn't always an exception, but owners felt the more offensive plays they can squeeze into a two-minute drill, the more drama they can manufacture.

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