BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Shaun McDonald Edition

The guy has already been criticized for both looking like a cabbage patch doll and for having T-Rex arms…we’re showing a lot of mercy for the hometown kid haha

..when you consider the background they came from and how their careers diverged. Have to wonder what Wallace might have done at Oregon State, which was a stronger, more pass friendly environment the past 4 years. Mike broke Craig Davis high school records in N.O. and the guy who coached them at the time seemed to think that Wallace was at least as good a prospect. The coach stressed how “tough” Wallace was, which is music to the ears when you assess a WR with 4.3 speed.

Sure hope it had nothing to do with being drafted, and should never play any part in what their futures with the Steelers will be, of course. But what a freaking cool story! What next? Same Hall of Fame class?

was a nice flex option for my fanstasy football team. If you can catch that many balls from Kitna/Culpepper/Reject #3, then how well will you thrive with a multi-dimensional offense? Love the signing!

I was just thinking to myself last night , “wouldnt it be great if they could trade Foote for McDonald or Furrey, rather than just releasing him”.

I think this move is for McDonald and Sweed to battle it out for that 3rd WR slot on game day. I think M. Wallace will be the 4th active WR on game day because he’ll be the KR/PR as well as the Nate Washington role of stretching the field in the regular offense.

Is that sweat that I see on the forehead of Limas Sweed?

How many rookies struggle their first year. If you made a list you would run out of paper. It actually should be more of a list of what rookie WR’s actually excel their first year. Sweed was thrust into the starting lineup after not playing much of a senior year and only getting practice squad reps. His name was called on the biggest stage after limited prep. Mark my words – Sweed will be MUCH improved and we will be DEEP at receiver this year. If we stay healthy, we may have the deepest receiving core in the league…..

McDonald is a good veteran addition, similar to the Cedric Wilson signing as noted above. McDonald is quicker than Wilson but has ball security issues and has dropped his share of passes. His big stats year in Detroit was mostly a byproduct of the Mike Martz offense but he is a veteran with sneaky speed and will provide good camp and preseason competition for Sweed and Wallace, and veteran insurance in case of injury. There is no way Tomlin wants to go into a game with three out of his four WRs being Sweed, Wallace and Nance, unless they earn it against proven NFL quality competition. IMO this is just another way of Tomlin giving the tough love that Sweed needs to raise his game. He’s not getting babied anymore like he was in Texas. Anyone who watched him in college is not surprised by the number of drops he had as a rookie. It was a problem every season in college. He seems like a hard worker and a good guy with a ton of athletic ability but nothing is going to be given to him on a silver platter. I love the way Tomlin is creating competition at just about every area of concern: the return game, cornerback, tight end, fullback and WR. Now all we need is a veteran OL with tackle/guard versatility and the training camp roster will be set.

Originally I thought the answer to Hypo’s question was that there WERE release rumors, or at least enough information out there that other teams could put 2+2 together. Foote spoke openly to the Detroit media about wanting to start, not taking a pay cut, and wanting to play in Detroit. Since that news, if it was out before the draft (and I think it was) would get around the NFL, no other team was willing to trade during the draft for what they could get on the open market a week or two later. BUT, that line of thinking doesn’t take into account compensatory draft picks. So my question, for someone who understands trade/release rules better than I, is whether the Steelers will receive a compensatory pick if another team signs Larry Foote, even if we release him?

Same situation as the Steelers releasing Joey Porter so they could get out from under his contract to make room for Harrison. Mel is probably right about enough rumors going around that Foote didn’t have much, if any, trade value at the draft. However, a team may have to trade for him now to be sure of getting him. A number of teams will want to sign him, so one of them should be prepared to cough up a late draft pick. San Francisco could really use a veteran like him playing beside Willis. If the Steelers didn’t think they would get anything they would have released him before the draft.