George Pickens is proving the Steelers have an identity crisis
For nearly 50 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been synonymous with greatness in the NFL. A model franchise in a league built on parity, the steadiness of the team in terms of success rivals few others when analyzing the historical landscape of professional football. But the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the past have little in […]
For nearly 50 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been synonymous with greatness in the NFL.
A model franchise in a league built on parity, the steadiness of the team in terms of success rivals few others when analyzing the historical landscape of professional football.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the past have little in common with the present-day Steelers, as one of the team's most promising players continues to be living proof that things have changed in Pittsburgh, but not for the better:
George Pickens Slams The Media
George Pickens generated headlines for all the wrong reasons following Week 15's loss in Indianapolis, with many calling out the second year WR for his blatant lack of effort in the clip above, and after an interception that all but ended the game for Pittsburgh:
Pickens caught his fair share of criticism from fans and media alike, but even his head coach said he needed to improve on his maturity, citing the effort on Jaylen Warren's TD run as an example that Pickens can learn from.
Yet, when asked about his obvious lapses in judgment during Tuesday's media availability, instead of being accountable, Pickens opted to try and flip the narrative, showing his insecurity and just making life harder on himself:
All the people that’s questioning my effort, they don’t play football, they do what y’all (in the media) do….all that people that got opinions, they’re media, surface guys. None of them play football,” Pickens told reporters.
Well, even if Pickens was right about his critics, (which he wasn't when you see that one of his biggest detractors was former Pro Bowler Kyle Long) it doesn't take a football savant to tell who's playing hard and who isn't.
Not to mention, Pickens admitted to not trying on the play, although his reasoning may have done more damage than if he had just lied:
“I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to (him). I didn't want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too long, you can get rolled up on very easily,” Pickens told reporters when asked why he didnt sustain the block.
If you missed the season-ending lower-body injury that Texans WR Tank Dell suffered, here is a comparison between his play, and George Pickens':
As you can see, Dell's injury occurred while he was "in the fire" with Pickens nowhere close to the trenches and simply failing to execute a routine block on the perimeter.
So he can fire his shots back and make all the excuses he wants, but the film is the film. And when fellow teammate Diontae Johnson comes out to support you while addressing your obvious frustrations, you know you have a problem given Johnson's prior instances regarding effort:
So Pickens was dead wrong, that much is clear. His reaction and excuse only made matters worse, even with the second half of his dynamic duo attempting to come to his rescue.
But the truth is, this is just the latest in a growing list of antics and behavioral issues for Pickens,
Easily one of the most talented receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickens didn't last until the second round because there were 10 WRs with better talent than him. He lasted that long because teams knew he was a ticking time bomb when it came to his character.
As one source close to the situation told me:
"He was difficult to deal with in college for everyone. Beyond some of his in-game antics. Unbelievable talent, so people put up with it. There’s a reason he was drafted as late as he was."
That opinion would be echoed by Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports, who wrote the following after Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports speculated that Pickens could be on the trading block after the season:
"You are assuming there is a buyer here," said Kinkhabwala in regards to teams looking to trade for Pickens. "The year he came out, I had multiple convos w/ multiple GMs who said he was the most talented WR that year – and yet, not on their board. Those same GMs said if any coach would reach him, it was Mike Tomlin."
And that brings me to the larger issue in Pittsburgh. The Steelers took a chance on Pickens because they believed they had the culture and infrastructure in place to handle such a personality.
But that culture was instilled by Mike Tomlin when he had players like Ryan Clark, James Harrison, and Hines Ward on the roster.
Since their departure, the hard-nose pedigree of the team has softened, and the once-great standard has eroded.
Sure the lack of playoff wins or postseason success over the past decade is a sign of regression, but the demeanor of the players, the heart and soul of the team, and the actions of the franchise are far more concerning.
Even one of Tomlin's biggest supporters is singing a different tune after having a first-hand look at the current product of the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday, sharing an anecdote from a production meeting with T.J. Watt that is appalling:
Is he [Mike Tomlin] coaching them up? Absolutely, said NFL Network play-by-play commentator Rich Eisen via The Rich Eisen Show. "He [Tomlin] is basically going into these meetings and being a dynamic leader and trying to inspire to the point where T.J. Watt said it was ‘Wild.’ He used that phrase. It’s wild to him that some of the players upon hearing that [message] don’t respond in a way on a field or on a practice field."…
“…He [Watt] used that word, he [said it was] wild that some of them don’t want to practice, or don't want to practice in a way that everyone is supposed to practice. He [Watt] said that this past week, everyone did do that. And then you saw the result. Now you can sit there and say that Tomlin has gotta change his way. T.J. Watt also said that the younger generation takes criticism personally. He didn’t call it a problem, I just inferred it was. And then you see guys on the field like George Pickens turning down contact on a running play.”
So Pittsburgh's issues are a lot deeper than what we see on the surface. A temper tantrum here, a lackadaisical display of effort there, and no one bats an eye when your winning.
But when you drop three straight, and players start turning their backs on the brand, playing for the name on the back of the jersey rather than the one on the front, that's when you know things have gone awry.
So with three weeks left and Pittsburgh's playoff's hopes dwindling by the week, the Steelers are desperate in their search for a Win.
There's an old saying in the NFL that winning cures everything, a notion I tend to agree with.
But in light of the recent actions of players like George Pickens, and sentiments from team leaders like T.J. Watt, winning feels like more of a bandaid than an actual solution for this version of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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