The Pittsburgh Steelers have won five games in 2023 in eight tries. The Steelers fan base has found a lot of faults in the five victories. Arguably, Steeler Nation is even more upset with a 5-3 record than they were at 2-6 in 2022. For multiple reasons, a large portion of the fan base has become increasingly irritated with the on-field product in 2023.
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Steelers' George Pickens is unhappy with his usage in Matt Canada's offense.
After the Steelers defeated the Tennessee Titans on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football 20-16, George Pickens deleted his social media connections to Pittsburgh on Instagram. This phenomenon is a little complex for the senior citizen discount crowd. It seems like a big deal, but it is how younger players express frustration. Kyler Murray deleted the Arizona Cardinals from his social media and got $230 million dollars shortly after.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Defends George Pickens At Press Conference
On Wednesday, during the Pro Football Talk Live show, Pickens and, more specifically, his postgame antics, were the subject of a segment after Mike Tomlin likened them to a "pebble in his shoe." Mike Florio had a front-row seat to his partner Chris Simms's rant about the second-year wide receiver. The former quarterback’s take went off the rails quickly.
“I understand his frustrations, I get that,” Simms began. “I still don’t like to see him act the way he’s acted over the last 10 days. That doesn't make it right. I understand he’s frustrated, too. You’re winning football games. The offense isn’t very good. Nobody’s getting the results they want right now. Be a good team player for now. You’ve stated your case. Everybody knows you’re not happy.”
Pickens has become the latest in a long line of Steelers wide receivers who have been criticized for wanting a big role in the offense. Santonio Holmes, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, and Chase Claypool are recent receivers who ran afoul of the team because they wanted more significant roles and money. The Steelers have Pickens under contract for two more years and have wasted half of his contract in an uninspired offense.
“Diontae Johnson, I’m sure, is not happy with his production,” Simms observes. “Najee Harris isn’t happy with his production. Same with [Kenny] Pickett at quarterback. Their offense, they do nothing. They’re not very creative. They don’t know how to feature people. It’s a problem systematically. I understand he’s frustrated and all that, but he’s gotta watch it. He’s going to become a distraction, and he’ll become an enemy of the team."
Since Diontae Johnson returned to the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams, he has been targeted 29 times. He has converted those targets into 23 catches, 254 yards, and one touchdown, averaging just over 11 yards per catch. He has amassed half of Pickens's total targets for the season in three games. He also dropped two critical passes at the beginning of the Jacksonville Jaguars contest that could have changed the game. Despite the key drops, there is a concerted effort by Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada to get the ball to Johnson.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett and Diontae Johnson celebrate their first touchdown connection.
2023 was supposed to be the former Georgia Bulldogs receiver's breakout season. Since his five catches and 107 yards against the Rams in the last two games, he has been targeted 10 times and caught three passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. He cost himself a few yards and a second touchdown with a mental mistake. It is a shameful waste of a receiver averaging 17.4 yards per catch.
Pickens's opportunities are severely limited by this version of the Steelers offense, and based on his reactions, is it a giant leap for him to think it might be on purpose? Mitch Trubisky was benched last season because of an alleged locker room altercation with Johnson at halftime of the New York Jets game. Pickens's reaction was tame by that standard, a point completely lost on Simms.
“Be careful, George Pickens, this is the team that drafted you when you didn’t really play your senior year at college,” Simms concludes. “They used a second-round pick on you where I think a lot of teams were scared to even draft you in the second round. I think he’s a little overrated. I do, I’m going to be the one to say it. I’m not trying to say he’s not real good, but I do think because of some of the highlight plays he’s made, it’s led to the social media fan base thinking he’s a little different.”
Simms, who it could be argued, rode his father's coattails to a short NFL career, has a lot of nerve telling a supremely talented player like Pickens to be grateful he is in the NFL. Pickens's issues at Georgia centered around an on-field fight against Georgia Tech and a severe knee injury. He would have been a surefire first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft if he had not missed most of his senior season due to injury.
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Steelers wide receiver George Pickens gets in a nasty fight against Georgia Tech.
A marginal player giving below-average analysis that a player like Pickens is overrated is outrageous. Three months ago, Simms was touting Pickett and Pickens as a special combination on Pro Football Talk Live. Now, he routinely trashes Pickett and is walking back his assessment of Pickens. The Steelers offense is a mess, but that doesn't mean Pickens should keep quiet and be grateful to wear an NFL uniform. After all, he did not have the benefit of nepotism to get him on an NFL roster.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you agree with Simms, or was his reaction way out of bounds? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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