Wednesday, February 6, 2013
How Young affects Rams, Amendola
By Tom Carpenter
After being released by the Detroit Lions, wide receiver Titus Young was picked up by the St. Louis Rams. Per Jim Thomas, the Rams were the only team to put in a waiver claim on Young, despite his friendly contract that will cost the team only about $740,000 next season. Because Young can work the slot and the Rams' primary slot WR Danny Amendola is set to become a free agent, it's easy to wonder if the writing is on the wall for Amendola's departure. However, his agent doesn't sound too concerned about that.
“I don’t think it affects Danny one bit,” Amendola’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, said Tuesday. “Titus Young isn't anywhere in the same ZIP code as Danny as far as a player goes. I’m sure Young may disagree with that because he thinks he’s better than Calvin Johnson.”
Zing! It's true that Young is a project (on and off the field), so the Rams may simply see him as a talented WR who they can help mature into a solid contributor. That makes sense, because they are thin at wideout and have to make a decision on what to do with another free agent, Brandon Gibson.
ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando thinks the Rams made a smart call by adding Young, because there is little risk and coach Jeff Fisher may be the right guy to keep the hot-headed Young in line:
Mike Sando
The Rams and new WR Titus Young"The Rams are bringing along young receivers in 2012 draft choices Chris Givens and Brian Quick. Adding a volatile young talent to the mix would seem to carry some risks. But the Rams can always release Young if the situation appears headed in the wrong direction. They're in the business of adding talent at receiver by any means necessary. They have a strong head coach, Jeff Fisher, who hasn't been afraid to draw a hard line with players, including when he benched Jenkins and Givens for a big game at San Francisco."
