It is extremely tough not to root for wide receiver Limas Sweed, who was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. The Steelers gave the 6 foot, 4 inch receiver out of Texas every opportunity to shake his demons since they drafted him, but they finally were forced to part ways with him last season as he had problems staying on the field and more importantly holding onto the football.
Sweed has had his tires kicked by a few teams following his release by the Steelers, and the latest team to kick those tires was the New York Giants, who invited Sweed to their rookie camp this weekend. Unfortunately Sweed did not impress according to Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger and he still apparently has problems holding on to the football as well. Garafolo wrote that Sweed had three drops on Saturday and detailed each by saying, “On one play, he nearly hauled in a pass up the right sideline but couldn\’t control the ball as cornerback E.J. Whitley (tryout, Abilene Christian) got his hand in there. The next two should\’ve been easy catches but bounced right off Sweed\’s hands. Even on a catch he did make, Sweed didn\’t make it a clean grab. Sweed also slipped on one play, leading to an easy interception for cornerback Dante Hughes (veteran tryout).”
Sweed was not offered a contract by the Giants and their offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said prior to the Saturday tryout that Sweed looked rusty and in need of sharpening. Those are not the types of words you want circulated about you when attempting what could be your final shot at the NFL. Sweed reportedly has about three other tryouts lined up and he has already worked out for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears prior to getting his shot with the Giants.
Sweed only has seven catches in his career, with the last one coming in 2009. He was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness List by Steelers late in 2009 as he was rumored to be dealing with personal issues. The following May Sweed was looking to get a fresh start but tore his left Achilles tendon during the final day of minicamp and he was placed on season-ending injured reserve as a result. Sweed saw his final chance with the Steelers evaporate quickly during training camp last year as he struggled with drops once again early and then injured his shoulder. The Steelers waived him injured and they were forced to carry him on injured reserved after clearing waivers until he was fully healed in mid September when he was released for good.
