Steelers extensive receiver George Pickens has been extremely criticized for his poor displaying in Pittsburgh’s Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night time Soccer.”
The third-year extensive receiver wore black eye tape that learn “Open (expletive) Always,” showed very little effort throughout his route-running on a number of events and pulled the face mask of Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis because the clock hit zero.
To cap all of it off, Pickens completed the sport with simply three catches for a season-low 26 yards.
That is not the kind of manufacturing the Steelers doubtless imagined they’d be getting from their No. 1 extensive receiver, however tight finish Pat Freiermuth does not appear prepared to surrender on him fairly but.
“You simply received to be there for him as a lot as you possibly can. Perceive the place he is coming from. It isn’t out of a foul place. He clearly needs to assist us win as a lot as he can, and he is a terrific expertise,” Freiermuth said. “However on the finish of the day, he additionally has to grasp it is a staff sport, and he does. We have talked about that.”
Freiermuth could be pondering what all people else is: If Pittsburgh have been to maneuver on from Pickens, it might be left with a large receiver room that has mixed for simply 19 catches for 233 yards.
Pickens is changing into increasingly more of a distraction, however he has 23 catches for 310 yards alone this season.
So it could simply be that the Steelers are shopping for time till they’ll add to the room after which half with Pickens. That might make sense given the offense’s begin to the 12 months.
By the primary 5 weeks of the season, Pittsburgh is averaging the seventh-fewest points per game (18.4) and 10th-fewest total yards per game (299.4) within the league.
“We’re not the place we wish to be on offense but, however the performs are there. You possibly can see it on movie,” Freiermuth said. “We simply have to chop the detrimental performs out on our finish. We perceive that and we’ll proceed to maintain working.”
Freiermuth stays assured that the Steelers offense will finally hit its stride, nevertheless it’s not troublesome to argue that these numbers would doubtless be even worse with out Pickens.
If issues did attain some extent through which Pittsburgh considered buying and selling Pickens as an addition by subtraction, Freiermuth would doubtless be requested to do extra. That is not one thing he is against.
“That is for them to determine,” Freiermuth explained. “I am very assured in what they’ve me doing, and in the event that they wish to put extra on my plate, clearly welcoming that. I am right here for the get higher and right here for the staff.”
Solely time will inform what the Steelers determine to do with Pickens, however this is not the primary time they’ve handled a large receiver with an enormous persona.
Within the meantime, Pittsburgh will hope to see a greater model of Pickens when it goes on the highway to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) in Week 6. Maybe he may even be taught a factor or two from Freiermuth.
All quotations obtained firsthand except in any other case famous.