PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He's on the short list for 'who can the Steelers least afford to play without'. Wide receiver George Pickens almost certainly won't play against Philadelphia, but at least now others know the situation.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth said unlike finding out 90 minutes before kick against Cleveland, they have the full week to plan. An opportunity to work different roles potentially, although Freiermuth said the receivers room has done a great job of being locked in all year.
"Continue to do what we do," Freiermuth said. "The receiver room has a lot of talent. We got to keep working & keep going, dial in on extra little things and we'll be fine. We have a lot of confidence with everyone on the offense."
George Pickens is one of the top receivers in the league, the numbers back it up, specifically in chunk plays. Last week, everyone picked up their game a little more. Last week Freiermuth, Mike Williams and Scotty Miller all had three catches. Austin said this week all are willing to add to their responsibilities. But if you are looking for the one player most like Pickens, it's Williams.
"When a guy is down, it puts a lot more on other guys," Williams said. "I feel like I'm willing to take on that challenge and do what I got to do to make plays."
This season, not much for Williams with the Jets or Steelers, he's had 16 receptions for 234 yards and a TD (the Steelers game-winner against Washington). But over his last 16 games with the Chargers he did have five, 100-yard games. He's just over a year removed from ACL surgery, maybe more of that game is waiting to return.
"I feel like I was having some pretty good practices here," Williams said. "Got to show up in games. Last week had some opps, made some plays. Looking forward to this week."
"It's hard to say anybody is similar to GP (George Pickens)," Austin said. "You really can't emulate that from anyone. It's going to be players and coaches, coaches putting us in the best positions and we are taking advantage of the positions we are put in. Everyone in the receiver room has a different skill set, different strengths. The coaching staff knows that and they know how to put us into position to show that."
Austin said while he agrees with the sentiment from Mike Tomlin that the strength of the pack is the pack. The third-year receiver also noted that you can't hide in groups. Receivers are going to have to be on their details, know their assignments and make plays.
What else they have going for them this year that they hadn't in previous years is a veteran quarterback who sees the field well enough to spread the ball around. He's not a young guy who zooms in on the first option, rather he can see the field quickly and his knowledge of opposing defenses allows him to anticipate what might happen.
"It's very beneficial, he's thrown to plenty of guys," Austin said. "He's a motivator and he makes sure everyone is on their details. He's throwing to all of the guys. We've all got those reps that are very important and they pay a lot now."
Williams believes he's had enough time with Wilson that the veteran QB trusts him. The 30-year-old said with that trust he will make plays.
He'll likely get the chances, so will others.
