HOST: Jon Ritchie is in the house!
Spliff asks: Jon, tell us about Tyrone Wheatley's blowup with Jon Gruden this week.
JON RITCHIE: I don't know what was said. I know that everyone from time to time has a bad play. Ty had a couple of bad plays in the game. Gru is a very intense individual. I don't know what was said, but I know that neither of them was extremely happy with the other. That is not unusual, though. In a tense situation, tempers flare. I'm sure those guys are laughing now. Especially since we won.
Kina asks: Jon, is Gruden changed by his sudden stardom and "50 Most Beautiful People" status, or is he the same?
JON RITCHIE: He's the same coach that he's always been. But he's not going to let you forget that the world believes he's a handsome individual. He's a great guy. He's an unbelievable coach.
dotcomma asks: Jon, what's the most violent collision you've ever had as a lead blocker?
JON RITCHIE: If I could remember it, it wouldn't have been very violent. There's a lot of them. I really can't pick out anything in particular. When I'm in there, that's usually what I'm doing. I don't think I would want to know the amount of times I've had violent blocks. I really enjoy it, though. Hopefully, the other guy feels it more than I do.
FightingIrishRAM asks: Jon, do you think that Gru will coach at Notre Dame at some point during his life, perhaps 15 years down the road?
JON RITCHIE: I'm not willing to prognosticate on that, but I hope not.
nncIe asks: Jon, give us an example of what Rich Gannon says when he speaks to your team.
JON RITCHIE: There have been a few instances where Rich has voiced his dismay with the way our team was lacking in focus as a unit. And Rich is not afraid to express his opinion when he sees guys slacking off in practice. He'll also pull guys aside individually.
Raider316 asks: Who is under-rated on the team (beside you)?
JON RITCHIE: I've blocked a lot of LBs and I can honestly say I'm glad that Greg Biekert is on our team and we don't have to play against him. He is unbelievably tough. You hit him and it feels like his feet are bolted into the ground. I don't feel like he's gotten the attention he deserves. I'm a big Biekert fan.
FightingIrishRAM asks: Jon, what do you think of a RAMS-RAIDERS Super Bowl matchup? And how will you contain the Greatest Show On Earth?
JON RITCHIE: I think that the Rams obviously are explosive offensively. They present problems to any defense they go up against. I think we have a lot of faith in our defense's ability to stop productive offenses. Indianapolis has a prolific scoring offense and, in the game on Sunday, we were able to contain that pretty well. We have a lot of great athletes and coaches. We have great unity.
Raider316 asks: Is Gannon getting a hard time from the rest of the team over the recent SI article (playing with Barbie dolls)?
JON RITCHIE: As Rich's teammate, I know he's got daughters. So if he was playing with Barbie dolls, I believe that's acceptable. I don't know if anyone has really discussed that at work.
Eyepatch asks: Jon, how's your health and any plans to involve you more in the offensive game plan other than blocking? Would like to see you catching a few more balls out of the backfield!
JON RITCHIE: My health this year has really been a blessing. Last year was a challenge, I was pretty beat up. It's nice to get the opportunity to go out and play. I'm really happy with my role on the team as long as we're winning.
FightingIrishRAM asks: Jon, are you going to put any money down on the Irish-Stanford game with Timmy Brown this year?
JON RITCHIE: I don't think that Tim is the type to bet and I know that I don't bet. Maybe we'll do something like the loser has to wear the other team's warmup for meetings. Although I think last year when I did that, Tim lost and he didn't wear my Stanford warmup. But there was no real way that I can enforce that because he's Tim Brown (laughing). Notre Dame is struggling, so I think this would be as good a year as any to make that bet.
Raider316 asks: How's your music coming along?
JON RITCHIE: I'm still looking for a drummer, although my roommate has been practicing his percussion skills. Some day I would definitely like to become a rock star. Music is most definitely not my focus at this point in my life. I just want to go out there every Sunday and win. I'm fixated on football.
nncIe asks: Jon, at the end of the game last week in Indy, when the Colts needed the ball, you took seven minutes off the clock with a long drive. Was that the best performance of the year by your offense?
JON RITCHIE: That was crucial. In retrospect, in the Miami game that we lost, we were unable to run the clock out at the end of the game. That was something that really stuck in our collective offensive craw. It was exciting for us to get a chance to redeem ourselves. Although we didn't score a TD, we were able to put some points on the board.
HOST: We would like to thank Jon Ritchie of the Oakland Raiders for connecting with his fans. Jon, do you have any closing thoughts?
JON RITCHIE: I am grateful for everyone's questions. I had a lot of fun chatting. Go Raiders!
