After three seasons when he showed many promises, George Pickens is no longer a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They swapped him for the Dallas Cowboys and left a hole in the wide receiver again. It’s probably difficult to replace the Piken. For all his mistakes, he is a very talented player. It’s a shame he couldn’t exercise with the Steelers. Mike Florio believes Pittsburgh will blame him for that.
“It was Russell Wilson, who was at his best last year, covering the deep ball, whether George Pickens was covered or not,” Florio said. Friday talking about professional football. “And George Pickens tries to get it. You need to have that faith in him and you need to show your commitment to his skills.
“I think it was one of the issues with Pittsburgh. He’s extremely talented, but I didn’t feel that the Steelers had fully embraced and nurtured the talent he had.”
Whether the Steelers have ever fully embraced the Pickens is debatable. With all the support his teammates often show him, it feels like they did. The Steelers continued to support Pickens, despite his feelings sometimes making him better.
So, did the Steelers put the Pickens in the best place to succeed? Probably not. For his three years, the Steelers crime was a disaster. At quarterback, there was next inconsistent, and Pittsburgh had a hard time finding quality in that position. They also made other mistakes, like they’ve been hanging from Matt Canada for a long time.
The Steelers tried to make the Pickens into the ball early and frequently. They knew what he had inside him, but sometimes they were just throwing it at Piken, and whether he was covered or not, the crimes they passed were at their best.
But the relationship was also two-way. Pickens shares some of his responsibilities for not being as successful as he is in Pittsburgh. His explosions on the field often hurt the Steelers. There were also some moments when his efforts seemed to be at issue. Also, reports show that the Pickens were late to arrive at least one game last year.
These actions likely cost him trusting his team. How can they rely on such a person in the long term? The truth is that the Steelers and Pickens are likely to be held responsible for the end of their relationship. Both sides could have made things better. The Steelers could have better support Pickens, and Pickens may have shown more maturity. Now, Pickens has the opportunity to change the story about him.
