Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

[Captain Lemming]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

Are %'s are a true reflection with limited opportunities? The numbers are skewed. That is why I think it is unfair to put to much criticism on those players. I am sure the WR's feel they should catch every pass. I think if those players had more opportunities, they would catch more passes.

Our last two MVPs dropped TD passes.

Ward caught "only" a third of the total TD passed thrown to him in SBs. Holmes has dropped a mind boggling 50% SB TD opportunities.

The numbers dont lie:
BIG GAME CHOCKERS, BOTH of them.

[steelcityrules!!]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

in reference to sweed being soft, the article and his own admission is one way to account for it. He was a wide-eyed, gangly youngster. It's not about him being soft, as his hit on Ivy in the playoffs shows... it's his maturation and understanding of where to be, and what to do in the NFL.

I don't think he's soft, I think he was a bit overwhelmed.

I don't blame him for that.

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

in reference to sweed being soft, the article and his own admission is one way to account for it. He was a wide-eyed, gangly youngster. It's not about him being soft, as his hit on Ivy in the playoffs shows... it's his maturation and understanding of where to be, and what to do in the NFL.

I don't think he's soft, I think he was a bit overwhelmed.

I don't blame him for that.

I loved the hit... but he was also on his way out of town if he didn't show up in the second half and do something...

I don't see a crushing block of a defenseless player as proof someone is tough or not...

I think his 3rd down catch was much more tough then his block..

I liked the block though....I just wished he caught that TD and had the block.. he would be looked at much differently then he is right now.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I wanna see if Sweed is physical.

His softness last year reminded me of Ricardo Cocolough.

Guy has very evident skills and talent.

But he needs to translate that into being a tough football player.

Ricardo couldn't unfortunately.

Even though he flashed great athleticism.

There's a lot of great athletes that just arent tough enough to play in the NFL.

That's the concern I have with Sweed.

His talent is obviously there.

How many times did you see Sweed display softness? What in your eyes made him soft and not tough? I know that he showed the willingness to block. Remember the Ravens game? He laid someone out after Miller made a catch.

I would understand the criticism of him not catching the ball. I don't understand the criticism of him being soft or compared to Ricardo.

Agree with flippy on this. The few opportunities he had in traffic, Sweed did not move very strong to the ball. The guy is 6-4, 220 lbs, he should be able to out-muscle many of the DBs in the league. I hope we see more fight in him this season...then we can chalk up last year to rookie jitters.

He never moved strong to the ball whether in traffic or not. A couple of big drops when he was all alone as well.

The guy had no idea what he was doing last year, this year he does know. He will be night and day from the guy we saw last season.

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I don't expect Rookies to look like vets... but I do expect them to catch wide open passes and not fake injury when they don't. I'm not sold on Sweed nor should I be... he has to prove his worth just like all the vets who have 2 SB rings yet are still being doubted by some fans..lol!

[flippy]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I wanna see if Sweed is physical.

His softness last year reminded me of Ricardo Cocolough.

Guy has very evident skills and talent.

But he needs to translate that into being a tough football player.

Ricardo couldn't unfortunately.

Even though he flashed great athleticism.

There's a lot of great athletes that just arent tough enough to play in the NFL.

That's the concern I have with Sweed.

His talent is obviously there.

How many times did you see Sweed display softness? What in your eyes made him soft and not tough? I know that he showed the willingness to block. Remember the Ravens game? He laid someone out after Miller made a catch.

I would understand the criticism of him not catching the ball. I don't understand the criticism of him being soft or compared to Ricardo.

The Ravens game was one play and I hope it's a sign that he likes contact.

There were many other plays where he just looks flimsy when contact was made with him.

I'm hopeful it was more indecision than anything.

He's a big kid that should be able to use his size as an advantage and he hasn't thus far.

It's a bit unknown still.

I am not sure about the plays in which you refer. Can you give some examples? I think it is unfair to label a guy soft and flimsy without evidence. He only caught 6 passes. I don't think he saw that much time on the field in 3 WR sets. 4 WR sets are not a staple in the offense. I don't think there is a big enough sample size to label the guy soft and flimsy.

How many opportunities did he get to use his size to his advantage when he played behind Ward, Holmes, and Washington. Why throw that criticism his way when 1 he was a rookie WR and not expect to contribute much and 2 he was way down on the depth chart behind some pretty good players. When and if he gets more opportunities, then we can make a proper assessment of Sweed.

Just go back and watch him when he played. Just about any time he was on the field.

[BURGH86STEEL]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I wanna see if Sweed is physical.

His softness last year reminded me of Ricardo Cocolough.

Guy has very evident skills and talent.

But he needs to translate that into being a tough football player.

Ricardo couldn't unfortunately.

Even though he flashed great athleticism.

There's a lot of great athletes that just arent tough enough to play in the NFL.

That's the concern I have with Sweed.

His talent is obviously there.

How many times did you see Sweed display softness? What in your eyes made him soft and not tough? I know that he showed the willingness to block. Remember the Ravens game? He laid someone out after Miller made a catch.

I would understand the criticism of him not catching the ball. I don't understand the criticism of him being soft or compared to Ricardo.

The Ravens game was one play and I hope it's a sign that he likes contact.

There were many other plays where he just looks flimsy when contact was made with him.

I'm hopeful it was more indecision than anything.

He's a big kid that should be able to use his size as an advantage and he hasn't thus far.

It's a bit unknown still.

I am not sure about the plays in which you refer. Can you give some examples? I think it is unfair to label a guy soft and flimsy without evidence. He only caught 6 passes. I don't think he saw that much time on the field in 3 WR sets. 4 WR sets are not a staple in the offense. I don't think there is a big enough sample size to label the guy soft and flimsy.

How many opportunities did he get to use his size to his advantage when he played behind Ward, Holmes, and Washington. Why throw that criticism his way when 1 he was a rookie WR and not expect to contribute much and 2 he was way down on the depth chart behind some pretty good players. When and if he gets more opportunities, then we can make a proper assessment of Sweed.

Just go back and watch him when he played. Just about any time he was on the field.

I don't think there is a big enough sample size to label the guy soft.

[frankthetank1]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I never expected Sweed nor any rookie for that matter to set the world on fire. My argument was with Sweed was the drops... now Nate was bashed all day long and his production for a #3 WR was also bashed...

but if Sweed puts up #3 tyhpe stats we will be happy.. but with Nate most were not. I understand Nate wasn't worth what the Titans paid for him but I'm curious to see what fans expect from Sweed this year.

If he drops one early is he a bust or just a WR in his 2nd year?

i dont get is how much did anyone ever expect out of nate? he was undrafted from Tiffin. tiffin for christ sakes, i have never even heard of that school. nate exceeded expectations, he doesnt have the best hands and isnt worth what he makes now, but anyone that says they were dissapointed in nate needs to realize where he came from. sweed on the other hand had first round potential, i expect a lot more from sweed overall than i do nate. rookie year for a wr you cant put much stock in. the easy drops and sweed costing a timeout in the afc championship game is what bothered me the most. sweed is far from a bust at this point though. he has a few years to prove if he is a bust or not

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I never expected Sweed nor any rookie for that matter to set the world on fire. My argument was with Sweed was the drops... now Nate was bashed all day long and his production for a #3 WR was also bashed...

but if Sweed puts up #3 tyhpe stats we will be happy.. but with Nate most were not. I understand Nate wasn't worth what the Titans paid for him but I'm curious to see what fans expect from Sweed this year.

If he drops one early is he a bust or just a WR in his 2nd year?

i dont get is how much did anyone ever expect out of nate? he was undrafted from Tiffin. tiffin for christ sakes, i have never even heard of that school. nate exceeded expectations, he doesnt have the best hands and isnt worth what he makes now, but anyone that says they were dissapointed in nate needs to realize where he came from. sweed on the other hand had first round potential, i expect a lot more from sweed overall than i do nate. rookie year for a wr you cant put much stock in. the easy drops and sweed costing a timeout in the afc championship game is what bothered me the most. sweed is far from a bust at this point though. he has a few years to prove if he is a bust or not

I don't care where you come from.. once you are on the field you have to catch the ball.. and Nate improved dramatically and had production.

Sweed dropped for a reason.. The only thing I remember about Sweed in college was him being injured a lot and catching bombs in a conference that was all offense...

the fake injury bothered me more then the drop too.. he bounced back and that is what I like about Sweed.

but I don't think you can use a college as an excuse since WR's like TO, Jerry Rice and others went to some small a$$ schools and excelled.

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced? It's not a WR mecca.. just a big school with a budget. I went to U of Tennessee for a year and there were so many athletes who never made it on the field.. it's politics that involve High school coaches and wheeling and dealing..

A lot of talent leaves the big schools because they know getting playing time doesn't always have to do with talent but also connections..

[frankthetank1]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

I never expected Sweed nor any rookie for that matter to set the world on fire. My argument was with Sweed was the drops... now Nate was bashed all day long and his production for a #3 WR was also bashed...

but if Sweed puts up #3 tyhpe stats we will be happy.. but with Nate most were not. I understand Nate wasn't worth what the Titans paid for him but I'm curious to see what fans expect from Sweed this year.

If he drops one early is he a bust or just a WR in his 2nd year?

i dont get is how much did anyone ever expect out of nate? he was undrafted from Tiffin. tiffin for christ sakes, i have never even heard of that school. nate exceeded expectations, he doesnt have the best hands and isnt worth what he makes now, but anyone that says they were dissapointed in nate needs to realize where he came from. sweed on the other hand had first round potential, i expect a lot more from sweed overall than i do nate. rookie year for a wr you cant put much stock in. the easy drops and sweed costing a timeout in the afc championship game is what bothered me the most. sweed is far from a bust at this point though. he has a few years to prove if he is a bust or not

I don't care where you come from.. once you are on the field you have to catch the ball.. and Nate improved dramatically and had production.

Sweed dropped for a reason.. The only thing I remember about Sweed in college was him being injured a lot and catching bombs in a conference that was all offense...

the fake injury bothered me more then the drop too.. he bounced back and that is what I like about Sweed.

but I don't think you can use a college as an excuse since WR's like TO, Jerry Rice and others went to some small a$$ schools and excelled.

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced? It's not a WR mecca.. just a big school with a budget. I went to U of Tennessee for a year and there were so many athletes who never made it on the field.. it's politics that involve High school coaches and wheeling and dealing..

A lot of talent leaves the big schools because they know getting playing time doesn't always have to do with talent but also connections..

i see your point. i think the reason why wr's like TO, CJ, and steve smith went to small schools is because they are head cases and im sure bigger schools did not want to gamble on them. i know smith and cj did 2 years at oregon state but their first 2 years were at small schools. i dont know the stats but i wouldnt think many undrafted wr's end up seeing the field in the nfl. i had different expectations from nate then i do sweed. every wr drops passes. TO i wouldnt say has good hands, Moss dropped a ton of balls last season and even hines ward has dropped some balls from time to time

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

the SEC is full of head cases. Grades.. that is the only reason these guys went to small schools..

but once you make it on an NFL roster the small school excuse can't be used...

most of the se WR's from big schools play 3 games a year against quality opponents.. the rest of the time they are wide open cause they are playing scrubs to pad their schools winning record.. except for the SEC but it's more run oriented then pass happy

I think it's the reason the better QB's are from the MAC or D2 schools.. most D1 QB's rarely have to thread needles and make plays.. this is why Ben is so good.. he is used to running around waiting for slower WR's to get open in college...

This is why so many guys end up being bust because the mock draft overvalue these players based on the name of the school and their record.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced?

In terms of current Longhorns as starting WR's in this league, Roy Williams came from Texas and he was a solid enough WR in Detroit (best year: 82 catches for 1,310 yards and 7 TD's) for Jerry Jones to make a ridiculous trade offer for him and eventually release T.O.

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced?

In terms of current Longhorns as starting WR's in this league, Roy Williams came from Texas and he was a solid enough WR in Detroit (best year: 82 catches for 1,310 yards and 7 TD's) for Jerry Jones to make a ridiculous trade offer for him and eventually release T.O.

I forgot about him... he sucks though IMO.. great possession WR but slow and whiny...

[frankthetank1]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced?

In terms of current Longhorns as starting WR's in this league, Roy Williams came from Texas and he was a solid enough WR in Detroit (best year: 82 catches for 1,310 yards and 7 TD's) for Jerry Jones to make a ridiculous trade offer for him and eventually release T.O.

I forgot about him... he sucks though IMO.. great possession WR but slow and whiny...

no way roy williams sucks. he has proved a lot more in his first 5 or 6 seasons than plax did. even if the steelers were definetly a run first offense and the lions pass a lot more plax still wasnt a very good wr when he was younger

[feltdizz]

Re: Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp

Besides Metcalf how many WR has Texas produced?

In terms of current Longhorns as starting WR's in this league, Roy Williams came from Texas and he was a solid enough WR in Detroit (best year: 82 catches for 1,310 yards and 7 TD's) for Jerry Jones to make a ridiculous trade offer for him and eventually release T.O.

I forgot about him... he sucks though IMO.. great possession WR but slow and whiny...

no way roy williams sucks. he has proved a lot more in his first 5 or 6 seasons than plax did. even if the steelers were definetly a run first offense and the lions pass a lot more plax still wasnt a very good wr when he was younger

based on talent who would you take? Plax or Roy Williams? I don't even think its close.

and Roy was complaining a lot last year too about opportunities..

I just don't think Roy Williams is that good right now.. he is a downgrade from TO.. definitely not a #1WR

Roy never got better either.. he peaked to early IMO.