Wide receiver George Pickens has caused a stir with the Pittsburgh Steelers for all the wrong reasons the past week.
First, he received criticism for his disinterest in blocking on a running play during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. Then, he shockingly admitted on December 19 that he wasn’t blocking on the play in order to avoid injury.
Obviously, that garnered quite the reaction from Steelers and NFL media pundits.
While all of that reaction is interesting, it holds little importance. What really matters is how Pickens’ teammates, particularly running back Jaylen Warren, view the receiver’s recent blocking effort and comments. After all, it was Warren who may have been able to score a touchdown on the play where Pickens chose not to block.
“George Pickens standing still like it’s draft night,” NFL Notifications X (formerly Twitter) account wrote.
Warren didn’t rip Pickens for his lack of effort. But the running back made it clear that the blocking effort would have been very different if the roles were reversed.
George Pickens standing still like it's draft night 😭
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) December 16, 2023
“Some people play the game differently,” Warren told reporters, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo. “If I was in that position, I would have blocked for him.”
Steelers’ Jaylen Warren Addresses George Pickens’ Lack of Blocking
Week 15 wasn’t the first time Pickens received criticism for “taking plays off.” But after his missed opportunity to block near the goal line for Warren, Pickens received questions from the media about his blocking.
The 22-year-old receiver ripped the media for the criticism.
“All the people that’s questioning my effort, they don’t play football, they do what y’all [in the media] do,” Pickens told reporters, via Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh. “All that people that got opinions, they’re media, surface guys. None of them play football.”
Pickens continued, saying, “I ain’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too low, you can get ran up on very easily.”
Warren understood the explanation. But in so many words, he didn’t agree with it.
“I see where he’s coming from,” Warren told reporters, via Fittipaldo. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, he was doing what he thought was best for him.”
Mike Tomlin Delivers Message to George Pickens
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had an unscheduled press conference on December 20 to address the drama surrounding Pickens. Despite calls for the Steelers to bench Pickens, Tomlin said the receiver would play.
However, Tomlin did fire a message that seemed intended for Pickens.
“When you’re winning and doing your jobs, a lot of the attention is on things such as that,” Tomlin said, via Steelers insider Amanda Godsey. “When you’re not doing your job and losing, you better keep your damn mouth shut and understand that that tracks a certain type of attention, as well.
“And usually that’s vulture-like attention.”
Those are harsh words. Tomlin also added that any discipline for Pickens will not be made public.
But for some pundits, that won’t be enough of a punishment. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly called what Pickens said about wanting to avoid an injury was “a direct slap in the face of teammates.”
“Tomlin had a chance to make a much-needed statement that would resonate throughout the locker room after three of the worst losses of his career in a span of 14 days,” Kaboly wrote. “Instead, he chose to coddle Pickens’ psyche.
“Whether he sits out a play, or a series, or is not introduced with the starters to the crowd is moot. With everything that has surrounded Pickens this year — and most, if not all, is driven by his lack of big numbers because of a bad offense and bad quarterback play — he needed to be publicly embarrassed.”
Instead, Pickens will play, as the Steelers hope to avoid another embarrassing final score for the fourth straight week.
