There are only so many times you can help a person back on to the horse that he has fallen off of numerous times. The horse starts getting concerned as does the guy helping the person back on the horse. Such is the case with second year receiver Limas Sweed. Sweed has only 7 catches for 69 yards in 13 games he has played in. He has been targeted 12 times as well and had 2 crucial drops for sure touchdowns. The biggest highlight of his career is a great block on Ravens defensive back Corey Ivy in the AFC Championship game last year. That is it.
It is time for Sweed to take a seat a while and let veteran free agent Shaun McDonald take the number 4 spot for a while. Sure McDonald does not have the speed that Sweed does, but he has great hands, is an accomplished route runner and knows how to read coverages. McDonald was active in week 2 versus the Bears, as Sweed sat with a foot sprain. McDonald was not a factor in the game plan probably because the injury that Sweed suffered happened mid week and the plan was already in place. It will be interesting to see if head coach Mike Tomlin addresses this today in his noon press conference.
McDonald will never be mistaken for a Pro-Bowl receiver, but he has proven he can get the job done, he caught 11 balls for 100 yards in pre-season and knows the offense. He will also not burn most defensive backs deep, but that is what rookie Mike Wallace is used for anyways. Sweed is more of a liability right now than he is an asset and needs more time to work on his craft and confidence. McDonald has been on the horse and knows how to stay on it.
