Rams coach likely won’t lose his job

? Coach Scott Linehan won’t lose his job because of the St. Louis Rams’ 3-10 record.

Team president John Shaw told Linehan on Monday it would be unfair to judge his performance this season, given the team’s lengthy injury list. Later in the day, Linehan said he was looking forward to an end-of-season meeting in early January.

“It’s important to know you’ve got support and those things,” Linehan said. “But at this point it’s really not my issue. My issue is trying to get our fourth win.”

The Rams were 8-8 in Linehan’s first season and were perceived as a contender in the NFC West in the preseason. But they began the year with eight straight losses, mitigated by numerous injuries.

St. Louis has 11 players on injured reserve, seven of them starters. The two feature players on offense, quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson, both have missed significant time because of injuries.

“I felt the last month or so that the obstacles were somewhat insurmountable for him,” Shaw said in a telephone interview. “From the first game the offensive line was a mess, and then Marc and Steven got hurt.

“From Day 1, it was almost impossible to evaluate him.”

Shaw said the last couple of weeks he’s emphasized that Linehan just keep trying, and believes it’s clear that players still believe in him.

“I felt all along I was kind of telling him that myself and ownership felt it was very hard to evaluate him just on this year’s performance,” Shaw said. “I told Scott today and he kind of sensed it was coming.”

Linehan said Shaw has told him to be prepared for a comprehensive meeting after the season.

“He wants me thinking about some of the things we want to get done,” Linehan said. “He definitely wants my mind in that direction.

“I’m sure we’ll talk about pretty much everything.”

The Rams have had three home games blacked out on local television because they’ve failed to sell out, after only one blackout in the first 12 seasons in St. Louis.