Let me start by stating that the intent of this post will not be to talk you into or out of thinking that Mike Wallace should be a Ram, but more so a 'what he's worth' approach to the matter (my apologies if it's been done already). In all honesty, TST is the only place I go for the latest 'Wallace to the Rams' aspiration posting. Outside of this venue, it appears to be a never-conceived thought on reputable sites such as AllSportsIntel, UncleBobbyG's Twitter, or ESPN. If you use your Google machine to search for the latest buzz on Wallace, which isn't a whole lot more than speculation on teams that he'd be a good fit, you won't find much concrete. A lot of articles point to the Ravens or Bengals as potential suitors....wouldn't the Steelers love having to see him and AJ Green twice a year? Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Mike Wallace....shizah! That's probably the best 3-team conference in football!

But I digress...as free agent Wide Receivers drop like flies, 'visiting' St. Louis as if it's a highway rest stop along the way, some Ram's fans do what's natural....try to find hope. Our, meaning TSTer's, approach to the FA period thus far has been 'yea, let's go get that that guy! Could you imagine how improved we'd be with _________.' Twenty-four hours later, it's something along the lines of 'F that guy, he sucks anyways, and I'm glad we didn't overpay for him!' We then, of course, move on to the next best thing. And now we find ourselves where the well is nearly dry. The 'list,' at this point, is short. In discussion with fellow Rams fans, it appears to be anyone that the 49ers no longer want, or Mike Wallace. I think that there's no doubt that Mike Wallace is as advertised. He's a legit #1, and a deep threat. He's a proven commodity. He's certainly more worthy of Deseans contract, than Desean is himself. So if you're interested, what is he worth?

via cdn0.sbnation.com

A few questions to ponder in thinking about whether or not the Rams should aggressively go after Wallace are:

* Can we afford him? After the FA signings we've made, do we have the dough to make this happen? If the answer is 'yes,' then will breaking the bank (on what will easily be $10mil per) essentially end our free agent acquisitions prior to the draft?

* Do we need him? I know that there are obviously mixed feelings on the rookies from last year. There have been 'glimpses' from each of 2011's rookies. Pettis, Salas, and Kendricks aren't quite the elite group of receivers that success in the NFL will demand. Brandon Lloyd did, as expected, follow his daddy to NE. If Amendola does the same, then Brandon Gibson, and the three aforementioned youngsters are really all we've got, unless Fisher and Co. feels that Danario Alexander and his wheelchair are a good fit for this offense. Pettis, Salas, Gibson, Wallace is beginning to have a nice ring to it!

* What are our expectations for 2012, in terms of wins and a potential playoff berth? The coaching staff of this team just got blown to smithereens. We've let go some familiar players, and have done an adequate job addressing needs, outside of the glaring one at WR. Will bringing in Wallace impact our offense to the point that he takes us from a sniffing the division lead, to potentially winning it? All of the teams in the NFC West look to be improved in 2012, in my opinion. Can a top tier WR make a difference in our chances?

* If you're a proponent for Justin Blackmon, what are your thoughts on a signing like this? If Blackmon were to fall to 6, would you still take him if we'd just spent $10+mil on Wallace? With players like Claiborne and Richardson still on the board, is that too much focus on WR? What did I just say?

* Is he even worth it? Some of you may think Wallace is a joke. Decent player on a good team.....might as well be Austin Collie.

Let's hear your thoughts. From my understanding, the Steelers are looking for a first rounder in exchange for Wallace. Ultimately, at what cost he is to our draft and our wallet determines whether or not this is an intelligent move in trying to seriously upgrade a position, which looks (at this point) to have gone from bad to worse.....with the potential to get worse (how is that even possible?)