Several weeks ago, Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson caught plenty of flak for standing around when a live ball was bouncing on the ground near his feet. On Saturday, Steelers receiver George Pickens was seen loafing when he should have been blocking.
If he had indeed thrown a block in that moment, running back Jaylen Warren might have scored a touchdown on the play in question.
As they say, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie. Pickens was just basically hanging out, doing nothing. Making the situation even more confounding is that Pickens has (or at least had) a reputation for putting defensive players on their ass in the run game.
Consider this quote that Pickens gave to Kevin Clark, then of TheRinger.com, in an article published in July: “So every time I’m out there, that’s why I throw the blocks. I love getting the ball, and when I’m not getting the ball I play angry so the attention is back on me. I basically draw attention to myself.”
He might be angry about not getting the ball as much as he should, but he’s not playing angry. And now the attention on him is not great.
Getting Pickens in the right mindset for 2024 becomes one of the many questions facing the Steelers as the offseason approaches.