Larry Brown Sports

Titus Young is a player who many have said has breakout potential this season, but that will all depend on his attitude. The second-year receiver caught only one pass for 14 yards against the Rams on Sunday, but his lack of production was due in large part to the fact that Young only played in the first half.

Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz benched Young at the end of the first half after he head-butted Rams corner Janoris Jenkins. The mix-up occurred after St. Louis scored on a 31-yard pick-six from Cortland Finnegan, and it cost the Lions 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff.

“He didn’t do a smart thing,” Schwartz said. “He and a couple of guys were going back and forth, and the whole thing was right in front of me. It looked like he was going to do the right thing and walk away, but at the last second he turned and made a really dumb decision.”

Over the offseason, Young was reportedly told to stay away from organized team activities for an undisclosed period of time after he punched one of his own teammates. Last season, he punched a Saints player in the face when the Lions were down 17 and trying to get back into the game. He also was disciplined for similar issues while at Boise State, so clearly Sunday’s incident was not an isolated one.

Until Young proves that he can control his temper and remain focused during games, the Lions are likely to leave him in a limited role.

Helmet knock to Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

Talented cornerback. Multiple off-the-field issues. Drafted by Jeff Fisher. The comparisons between Janoris Jenkins and Pacman Jones are evident. But because of one glaring difference, Jenkins doesn’t buy the link to the notoriously oft-troubled Jones.

The Rams’ second-round pick jumped on SiriusXM radio with host Adam Schein on Friday and rejected the Pacman comparison when he was asked about it. His explanation was truly amusing:

Jenkins on Pac Man comparison, “I never shot no one in a strip club.” This is true.

— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) April 28, 2012

I don’t think Pacman ever gave us a quote quite like that. There’s another difference Jenkins can add to the board.

Photo credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Janoris Jenkins is considered to be one of the top cornerback prospects in the draft, but his troubled past concerns teams.

Jenkins was a freshman All-American at Florida in 2008, but he was kicked off the team by coach Will Muschamp last April. His rap sheet at Florida included three arrests, failed drug tests, and he also has four children with three women. A report last week said Jenkins continued to smoke weed after enrolling at North Alabama, but he denied that was the case in a separate interview.

“I wasn’t smoking marijuana at North Alabama,” Jenkins told Scout.com’s Aaron Wilson. “If anybody wants to know, they can give my coaches a call. I wasn’t partying. They’ve been saying a lot of things about me that aren’t true without getting my side of the story. It’s been a humbling experience.

“You’ve got to be a man, you’ve got to be honest and straightforward. I’ve matured. My past is my past. People can judge me for how far I’ve come. I want to know why all of a sudden this is out there about me. Why didn’t it come out after the combine when I was straightforward with the scouts? The timing is very interesting to me,” he said.

Jenkins’ defensive coordinator at North Alabama, Tony Pecoraro, told Wilson that Jenkins passed random drug tests and did everything they asked him to do.

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