Rams coaching Janoris Jenkins off the field too

I feel for the St. Louis Rams' leadership sometimes. The endless procession of the same questions over and over again would get really old. Few subjects have been as overwrought as the team's efforts to keep second-year cornerback Janoris Jenkins out of trouble off the field.

But this piece from Robert Klemko at MMQB stands above the usual "can they keep Janoris out of trouble" pieces that have saturated the market since the Rams selected Jenkins in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. It's a revealing look at the lengths Jeff Fisher and Les Snead go to on behalf of their players.

One thing that really stands out to me, is their belief in mentoring young players, all young players because most 21-year olds have a knack for being young. The team brought in Aeneas Williams to work with Jenkins last season, and it was Williams who had a heart to heart with the rookie when he missed curfew and had to sit for a game in San Francisco.

After the season, Jenkins pulled away, taking some time off in Florida.

Still, he has been slow to shed the reputation for immaturity that he earned at Florida. Those in his support circle would have preferred that he spend more of his first full offseason in St. Louis, but instead Jenkins stayed predominantly in Orlando with the mother of one of his four children. He did, however, satisfy the team's offseason program. They would have liked for him to return to St. Louis in shape for June OTAs. Instead, second-year coach Jeff Fisher says Jenkins was underweight. "He wasn't where we wanted him to be," Fisher said during those workouts. "There was a significant fluctuation in his weight. He got smaller. But he's back to where he should be and he's had a really good week."

On the field, the Rams are expecting a big season from Jenkins. Fisher notes that this year he'll be reacting less and more aware of what's going on around him.

Fair or not, the media is always going to associate Jenkins with his off-field antics during his college days. At least until he has more of a portfolio that conjures up his work on the field as the first thought in your mind.