Steelers best players has weak explanation for not….
George Pickens, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, came under fire for several plays in last week’s 30-13 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts, with the harshest criticism going to him for failing to block on a crucial play that would have led to Jaylen Warren’s second-half touchdown if Pickens had put in the effort — or even any effort at all.
Pickens explained on Tuesday why he didn’t block on that play, saying it was a business decision: “I didn’t want to risk injury,” he said.
The Tank Dell scenario refers to a running play in which the Texans rookie got hurt while blocking. Pickens called the media out for not “playing the game” and for not “understand[ing] what it takes to be on the field”. There are several issues with Pickens’ explanation and the media’s decision to call him out. First, Pickens can get hurt on any play at any time. Second, Pickens didn’t even try to block when the play came near him. Third, it’s not just the media calling Pickens out. It’s former players calling him out as well. Pickens had some great blocks in college at Georgia and in his rookie year with the Steelers. This was a complete 180 and led to harsh criticism.
In a vacuum, the missed block may not be as significant as a one-off, but Pickens also dropped a jump ball against a much smaller defensive back on the play that led to the interception and has caught just 29 percent of his contested balls this season, compared to 63 percent last year.
Add to that the fact that the Steelers’ top two wide receivers, Pickens and Johnson, have had multiple instances this season when their effort has been called into question for all the wrong reasons, and it’s easy to see why their offense remains one of the worst in the NFL.
