There were a few major trades during this offseason, and several of them involved the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of their most impactful moves was shipping out George Pickens, their No. 1 wideout over the last couple of years, for a third-round pick.
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The Dallas Cowboys certainly got a very good player in Pickens. No one has averaged more yards per reception (16.3) than the guy since he entered the league in 2022. He’s a great deep threat, an excellent sideline technician, and his hands might be the best in football. But there were always attitude concerns in the Steel City.
Apparently, those came to a head for Mike Tomlin and company, and they traded the up-and-coming star. Pickens was clearly frustrated by the end of his time in Pittsburgh, and he has been taking shots at his old team consistently. However, what he said most recently didn’t really make much sense.
“I kinda understand the camaraderie more [here in Dallas] than I did in Pittsburgh… Even what you guys do. The Cowboys are known for the Super Bowl, you see what I mean? Like that’s what they’re known for. If they weren’t known for that, then no one would care about the Cowboys,” said the wideout.
After seeing Pickens in that clip, Stephen A. Smith was asked whether the Cowboys were still synonymous with the Super Bowl. It’s safe to say he did not appreciate the query, saying that they shouldn’t be disrespecting the American people by suggesting that there was “any legitimacy to that question.” He continued onto the Cowboys themselves in a classic Stephen A. tirade.
“Of course, you’re not synonymous with Super Bowls when you haven’t even been to a Conference Championship Game in 30 years,” Stephen A. said, kicking off his banter.
“George Pickens, do you have any idea when you talk about the Super Bowl and the Cowboys, you do understand that the Steelers are a more successful franchise. Did you know that? Do you understand what the hell you’re saying? I mean, my God, you talk about a brother that needs to pick up a book.”
Smith went on to pull up the stats—stats which Pickens surely should have known before he made his silly comment—and show that Pickens’ old team, the Steelers, is actually more synonymous with the Super Bowl than his new team, the Cowboys.
Pittsburgh is tied with New England for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history, with six. Not to mention, two of those Steelers wins actually came against the Cowboys in the 1970s.
“The Steelers and the Patriots have more Super Bowls than any franchise in NFL annals. The last time the Steelers won a Super Bowl was 2008, if I remember correctly, and they were in the Super Bowl in 2010. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl, haven’t been to a Conference Championship Game, since the mid-90s,” the analyst continued.
Stephen A. Smith then went on to put into perspective just how long ago (January 1996) the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl was. He named crazy-low prices for things like eggs, cars, and homes back in ’96 that Gen Z’s and Millennials probably listened to with their mouths agape.
But that’s how long it’s been. Three full decades since a Conference Championship appearance. The longest streak in the NFC. So really, you could say that no NFC team is less synonymous with the Super Bowl than the Cowboys right now.
