Steelers WR George Pickens just showed Pittsburgh why they have to trade for Davante Adams
There is something in the air between the Pittsburgh Steelers and WR George Pickens. Fresh off his best performance of the year against the Indianapolis Colts, not only was Pickens held in check against the Dallas Cowboys, but he wasn't even on the field at times in the second half. When asked why, Mike Tomlin's […]
There is something in the air between the Pittsburgh Steelers and WR George Pickens.
Fresh off his best performance of the year against the Indianapolis Colts, not only was Pickens held in check against the Dallas Cowboys, but he wasn't even on the field at times in the second half.
When asked why, Mike Tomlin's answer only added fuel to the fire, and proved that Pittsburgh desperately needs another talent in the WR room.
George Pickens Has Rough Night vs. Cowboys
Pickens drew unnecessary attention to himself before the game even started, writing out the phrase: "Open F***ing Always," across his eyeblack. A couple of missed passes later, an unnecessary facemask to end the game, three receptions for 26 yards and a whole series missed, and you can see how it was a night to forget for the talented yet often misguided prodigy.
And when asked about what went into a lower snap count for Pickens, HC Mike Tomlin only added to the peculiarity:
"You know, we just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity, said Tomlin when asked about Pickens missing the opening drive of the second half. "You know, we're just trying to rep manage in terms of the totality of the big picture. He wasn't less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively, but we did wanna cut his reps a little bit in an effort to get higher quality play, just in general…
"…It's no different than we minimized some of the snaps of d-linemen like Cam Heyward and so forth, man. It is just about snap management. It's no underlying story, to be quite honest with you."
The problem with Coach T's statement is that it is different. The Steelers have a deep defensive line rotation, and Cam Heyward is 35 years old. George Pickens hasn't even hit the prime of his career yet and he's the only viable option on the Steelers pass-catching perimeter.
So something is going on. Either George Pickens has fallen out of Mike Tomlin's good graces, or OC Arthur Smith lost his mind for a series.
Either way, Pickens actions only underscore the need for another WR talent to join the room, preferably one with a veteran presence.
That's where Davante Adams comes in. As the Uber talented wideout has been linked to Pittsburgh in a trade that could heat up in the coming days.
And if Pittsburgh misses out on another big name, they can all but wave goodbye to any aspirations of a postseason run after watching what defenses like Dallas can do when Pickens is all by himself.
