Jim Thomas just reported that Steven Jackson has elected to test free agency, saying goodbye to a guaranteed $7 million from the Rams in hopes of one more contract as a starting RB ... and to potentially increase his chances of a deep playoff run. 

The open question is which contending team might look at this veteran RB and see him as "the missing piece," particularly in a passer-dominated league. Thomas brings up the Atlanta Falcons right away, as they desperately need to upgrade over Michael Turner, but mentions them only as one of several likely suitors. 

The RamsHerd writers weigh in on Jackson's value: where do you see him playing in 2013? (If not in St Louis, will you root for him there?) 

With the 39^th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft and the recent acquisition of Titus Young (now released), there is no question that Jeff Fisher will take a chance on players who have “character concerns.”  Gone are the four pillars and in comes the talent.  Janoris Jenkins had several issues entering the draft but Les Snead and Fisher did their homework and the Rams were rewarded with a sensational rookie year.

There is no doubt in my mind that Snead and company are targeting impact players that might be overlooked by some scouts because of “character concerns” and I plan to analyze these types of players in my “Red Flag Player Profiles” and how they might contribute to the Rams successes in the future.  Feel free to tweet me any suggestions @micheros_ and I’d gladly check those players out.

First off in the series is the “Honey Badger”, Tyrann Mathieu. 

The Crime

On October 19, 2011, Mathieu was suspended for one game, along with two other teammates for violating LSU’s drug policy.  Strike one for Mathieu, although he was able to remain sober (at least not get caught) the remainder of the season earning the Chuck Bednarik Award, as well as propel LSU into the National Championship game.  Mathieu also gained serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy award and seemed primed for a big 2012 season.

August 10, 2012, LSU Head Coach Les Miles announced that Mathieu would be dismissed from the football team due to a violation of team rules.  Miles would not clarify the reason for dismissal but reports said they were a result of repeated drug test failures. 

Uh-Oh, strike two Honey Badger.  To save face, Mathieu entered a drug rehab program in Houston, Texas a week later.  He also expressed interest in returning to the program in 2013.  Sounds good Tyrann, too bad this is a production based business with most of the “producing” done on the field.

Things look good for Mathieu as he was able to enroll in classes for the fall semester, but he was later arrested on October 25, 2012 for possession of marijuana.  Strike three and you are a player with “character concerns,” someone that NFL teams are wary off adding to their teams.

If you read my prior article on wide receivers in the draft, you know that I believe an upgrade at WR is more important than an upgrade at any other position.  I am also a firm believer that you can’t judge a wide receiver on numbers alone).  Nevertheless, the numbers are not irrelevant.  Scouts look at the numbers to double check their findings from film review.  Thus, here are the numbers from the combine for the best wide receivers in the draft.

* Combine record

I have this list in order, based on my opinion.  While I have Austin as the 3rd best wide receiver, I don’t believe he is the 3rd best for the Rams.  I readily acknowledge his skills and potential impact in the NFL.  At the same time, I don’t believe he will have that impact on the Rams.  We need a number 1 wide receiver before we can get a luxury “joker” type wide receiver.  A joker is a guy who has something unique about him that causes matchup problems.  Tavon Austin has unique speed and quickness, but what good is that if he is the guy the other team double teams.  I also see potential health and durability problems if the undersized “joker” is your number 1.  5’8, 174 pounds may work in college, but it won’t last long as a number 1 option in the NFL. 

I really wanted to see Keenan Allen run at the combine.  Now, we will only know pro-day numbers, and it is always difficult to compare numbers from a pro-day to the combine.  Keenan Allen stated in an interview that he is shooting for a 4.40 forty time.  I have to believe he will get that at the pro-day.  I hope we also get a vertical result and 20-yard shuttle time. 

I still believe Keenan Allen is the best wide receiver over all, at this time, in the draft.  Patterson may turn out to be better in the long wrong, but that is a “may”.  Given his surprise “knee” issue at the combine, I have concerns whether the Rams can draft Keenan Allen at 16.  A PCL knee problem that occurred in October should have been resolved by now.  I suspect the PCL “tweak” is really a control issue by the agent.  He wanted his client to perform only in a situation where the player has control.  If true, that bothers me.  A true competitor should want to prove his worth at all times.  True competitors compete, they don’t hide. The combine is awesome because the NFL controls the variables, and the numbers are comparable. I will wait for the pro day to see how this “knee” issue resolves and to see the results before I state a final opinion on Keenan Allen.

The primary issue for most Rams fans will be whether Keenan Allen is that much better than the options that will be available at pick 46.  Furthermore, what about the other options at pick 16 and 22 (the best TE, a starting offensive tackle, a stud guard, or a starting safety).  Arguments over this pick are fair. Please let me know your thoughts.

If there is one thing I enjoy as much as mock drafts, it has to be top ten lists.  Since there is a major surplus of the former, I thought I would take a run at the latter for this week’s entry.

While this is likely to change based on free agency, this month’s Scouting Combine and Pro-Day performances, I tried to identify the Top Ten players most likely to be selected by the Rams with their pair of 1^st round draft picks.

#10 – Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

While he may be the player (of these ten) least likely to be available when the Rams pick, his stock seems to be slipping due to health concerns.  There are also thoughts that his workout performances may not “wow” teams so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could fall to #16 overall. 

#9 – Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina

Many will point to Jeff Fisher’s track record of not drafting offensive linemen in the first round, but if Chance Warmack is gone before #16, Cooper may very well be the best-player-available at #22.  The Rams offensive line must be upgraded, particularly at LG and RT, and Cooper would be a great start.

#8 – Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

The odds of the Rams selecting a receiver in the first round will be heavily influenced on whether or not Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson are brought back.  Patterson, while still quite raw, may be the first receiver off the board because of his tremendous upside.  While he wouldn’t be my first choice as we already have a physically gifted but raw receiver being developed (Brian Quick), the need for playmakers on offense puts Patterson in play for the Rams.

The St Louis Rams took a chance that no other team in the NFL was willing to, putting in a waiver claim on Titus Young. Young had been released by the Detroit Lions earlier this week for all kinds of conduct detrimental to his team, which raises a huge question: why would Jeff Fisher take in a player that his protege, Jim Schwartz, couldn't handle? 

The pat answer is this: it's a "no-risk, high reward" move. Let's question both halves of that statement, shall we? 

No Risk? 

From an economic standpoint, this is a Patriots-like maneuver. Former high draft picks with huge character flags, like Aqib Talib, can be had on the cheap and can instantly come in and contribute. But on the downside, former high draft picks with huge character flags, like Albert Haynesworth, can fool you just long enough to make the final roster and can ultimately end up costing you wins before you realize your mistake and cut them. 

While he wasn't a character risk, Steve Smith essentially did exactly the same thing to the Rams this offseason. He had an up-and-down preseason until making one huge play in the final game, catching a 40-yard pass from Sam Bradford that might have cemented a roster spot. A spot which he held onto and did nothing with, at the expense of keeping it open for a player like Danario Alexander. 

Every move carries an opportunity cost, if making this move cancels out another move that might serve you better down the road. The worst case scenario here would be if the Rams decide to pass on the wealth of early-round WR talent in the draft, because they have Titus Young in the fold. (I'm not saying they will, but that is the worst case.) 

High Reward? 

Already Rams fans that are sick of the lack of production from our WR corps are making the mistake of thinking of Titus Young as an "explosive" player who might "already be the best WR on our roster." This is quite simply wrong on both counts. 

Titus Young ran a very pedestrian 4.53 official time at the 2011 NFL Combine. And while I firmly believe speed isn't everything for a wide receiver, as Paul points out, this is not an "explosive" number.

As a slot receiver, though, he is supposed to have the elusiveness to get yards after the catch. Which makes his 2.4 YAC per reception (95th of 104 WRs tracked by Pro Football Focus) a troubling stat. As is his 12.2 career yards-per-catch. As is his career 57% catch rate. These are not explosive numbers. 

To his credit, Young has outscored the leading Rams WR in touchdowns over the past two years, with 10 scores in 26 games. It's worth putting that number in context with his targets, though: 

If you believe that "scoring touchdowns" is a repeatable skill and not a function of his usage or his offense, then yes, it's possible that the Rams have upgraded here. But the rest of his stats, and the rest of his story, give me plenty of reason to be pessimistic. Particularly if this move ends up costing the Rams in ways that we can't currently see. 

I was able to find tape of California v. Washington State and California v. USC.  I am even more impressed with Keenan Allen.  With full understanding that I am the person who added a caveat to my prior WR draft article about combine numbers and Keenan Allen, I want to remind Rams Fans that sometimes the numbers do not matter.

Over the last five years or so, the top wide receivers in the NFL have been Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Hines Ward, Brandon Marshall, Roddy White, Vincent Jackson, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson.  Others could be included, such as Hakim Nicks, Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss, etc. but I am sticking with the obvious.

I will admit that Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson had amazing combine numbers, including 40-yard-dash times.  Thereafter, the numbers might surprise you.  Experts are suggesting that Keenan Allen will run a 4.5 at the combine.  Rams Fans are focusing on Calvin Johnson’s 4.32, and Julio Jones 4.39.  Those fans appear to be forgetting that A.J. Green ran a 4.5, and they are clearly forgetting about the following:

There is no reason for me to make a declaration at this time whether Keenan Allen should be our 1^st first round selection.  I am going to wait for the overall combine numbers.  The real purpose of this article is to remind Rams Fans that not every number 1 wide receiver in the NFL ran a sub 4.4 at the combine.

The latest episode of the Shields of Dreams radio show took place during the second half of the AFC Championship game, with Baltimore and New England locked up at 14-13. Co-hosts Tim and Vinnie had to keep one eye on the scoreboard while keeping the conversation flowing.

Guest list: Robert McBride, head coach of Lansing Eastern (Lansing, Michigan) and a former Nick Saban player, who spoke about Saban's personality and the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Tyson Langland, NFC West lead writer for Bleacher Report, speaking on the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and their offensive innovations. 

Will Horton, lead writer of RamsHerd.com, speaking on the AFC Championship matchups and taking an early look at the first round of the draft from a Rams perspective. 

This week's episode is tonight at 7:00 pm CST. You can listen live at http://kzowfm.com/listen/