George Pickens has become the talk of the week in the NFL world. The Steelers WR landed himself in a pickle when he expressed his unwillingness to block for fellow teammates because of the fear of getting injured. He has since been thoroughly criticized for his actions by both fans and pundits alike. Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco also chimed in on the matter in their latest episode of the ‘Nightcap‘ podcast.
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While discussing the fairness and reasoning behind Pickens’ actions, Sharpe got agitated because Ocho, as a former WR, seemed to unwillingly or willingly justify George’s behaviour. The 3-time SB winner went into a rant in the heat of the moment.
He started shouting to emphasise his point that being a football player, you’re bound to get hurt and if you are afraid of that, you shouldn’t be one. Ocho then questioned his podcast partner why he was shouting at him as if he had uttered the words. He said he was just explaining the reason behind Pickens’s words. Ocho said-
” I know what it is. You are screaming at me like I said it. I was just giving you the reason why I think he didn’t block. I just added a little bit of context on what he might be feeling.”
Johnson called Pickens, one of the best offensive players coming out of college in his draft class, and said even though he disagrees with his actions and justification as a former WR, he gets where all of this is coming from.
In Johnson‘s view, the Steelers have underutilized him in a way that is demoralizing. He further added that Pickens doesn’t have the incentive to do anything. That’s why he is not contributing to the field in a way he wants to. Ocho said,
“There was no effort on the play. Baby, I love you to death, but you can’t do that. I understand what he is going through right now. I am not saying what he did was ok, but I think for Pickens, they have underutilized him to a point that it has become demoralizing and it has hampered his confidence and he doesn’t want to be out on the field, contributing as much as he can. That’s what we saw.”
Pickens justified his actions recently by saying, ” I didn’t want to get injured. When you stay in and block somebody, you can get run on very easily,” as reported by NBC Sports. He was referencing Texans WR Tank Dell’s situation, who suffered a season-ending fractured fibula during their win against the Broncos.
George Pickens’ Attitude Highlights the WR Situation at the Steelers
The Steelers WR is getting criticized by almost everyone, including his teammate Jaylen Warren, whom he was supposed to block. Following Pickens’s controversial statement, Warren stated that he would have definitely blocked for his teammate, but then again, his playing style differs from his teammate.
The Steelers had some of the most talented yet controversial receivers on their rosters in the last few years. All seem to have attitude problems and public flameouts. It raises a question: Is that an individual problem or a systematic coaching issue on the part of Mike Tomlin? Shannon says it is because of Tomlin, who has cultivated a culture in which this type of behaviour is acceptable. Unc said,
“Let me tell you why this has happened. Because Mike Tomlin has allowed it. Either he is coaching that type of behavior or he is condoning it.”
The former Broncos TE named names of super-talented receivers and offensive players having attitude problems in Pittsburgh. He even mentioned Antonio Brown as the biggest example. He then brought up Juju Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, and Santonio Holmes.
Antonio Brown has an endless list of faux pas. It all started when he recorded the Steelers HC speech after a win in which he called the Patriots some colourful names. What was a private locker room speech that ended up getting broadcast on social media for everyone to see? After a couple of more flameouts, he was shipped out of Pittsburgh. What was interesting was that he went to play for multiple teams despite his somewhat checkered past.
Teams were willing to give him multiple chances because the talent has always been there. But this raises an important question: how much leeway does your talent give you and how much can you get away with? The Steelers, after 3 consecutive losses, are now 7-7 and have only a 5 % chance of making the playoffs. They take on the Bengals in week 16.
