Jackson expects more carries this week

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson expects more of a work load, and less controversy, in his second game back from a thigh injury.

All week, coach Jim Haslett has been backing off on his post-game assertion that Jackson wasn't used much in the fourth quarter of a 16-12 loss to the Dolphins because he was "gassed." On Thursday, he jokingly said he would "defer" questions about Jackson's health to the running back.

"Oh, we're fine," Haslett said. "There's no issues at all. He's a good guy and he works hard, and we're just glad to have him back.

"It gives us a good chance to win when he's around."

Jackson addressed the issue for the first time on Thursday after two days of practice, saying he had no "problem" with the coach.

"Me and coach Haslett, we're good," Jackson said. "We've been able to kind of just look back at that reel and just laugh about it. Everything's fine."

-- AP