St. Louis Rams Dodge Bullet With Offseason Release Of Titus Young

In early February, the St. Louis Rams made headlines by claiming ex-Detroit Lions’ wide receiver, Titus Young, off of waivers. The pickup was polarizing in the community, with some enthralled by his production and potential, and other scared away by his “character flaws.”

It turns out, the St. Louis Rams front office was in that latter category, releasing Young just nine days after signing him. The move came not-so-coincidentally after the hiring of Tim Walton, the former Lions’ defensive backs coach, as the the Rams’ new defensive coordinator. Walton saw first-hand the negative effect that Young could have on team, after watching the troubled receiver sucker-punch his own teammate, safety Louis Delmas, during volunteer workouts.

Some, including Rob Parker, a media figure-head in Detroit, believed that St. Louis was Titus Young’s last shot in the NFL. If Jeff Fisher, the zen master of the troubled players, cannot handle you, no one can.

If there was any hope that Young might break onto a receiver-needy roster at some point in the season, they were dashed this weekend. Young was arrested twice within a 15-hour span on Sunday, first for an illegal U-turn and the suspicion of driving under the influence.  He was arrested later that night for hopping the fence at the impound lot in an attempt to retrieve his black Mustang that was towed away after the initial arrest.

In retrospect, the St. Louis Rams made a breathtakingly intelligent move with the release of Young. In some sense, the lack of another receiver on the roster led to the acquisition of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. More importantly, it kept an inevitable  ticking time bomb from detonating in the St. Louis locker room.

Just another reason to “Keep Calm And Snead On!”