PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It may not be how everyone gets motivated for the start of a season, but it's something that has upset Steelers receiver George Pickens.
His Madden 24 video game rating isn't high enough. He currently has an 80 rating which is below teammate Diontae Johnson, former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster and tied with DeVante Parker, Michael Gallup, Rondale Moore, Tim Patrick. He thinks is should be an 89 or 90-that's in Keenan Allen, Mike Evans, Tyler Lockett, Deebo Samuel territory.
There is one way to impress those who rank those on the video game.
"Really just a prolific year," Pickens said referring to the type of season he thinks he will have. "Just making crazy catches, making regular catches, running good routes, being an overall good receiver. I felt like I was already that, I just want to boost it to another level."
There was hope after 102 yards receiving against the Jets on October 2 it would lead to much more. Pickens had no more one-hundred-yard games and had a game against Philly with no catches and one against Atlanta with one catch for two yards.
"I felt like last year we were all new to it," Pickens said Wednesday. "First game, I feel like this year there is going to be a lot more composure."
He wants to get out to a quick start. The 22-year-old did have a big preseason-a 35-yard catch against Atlanta and a 33-yard touchdown against the Bucs. There weren't really splash plays last year, but Pickens believes in carryover. He expects he and the offense to be good in 2023 after having to struggle for every inch in 2022. Pickens is so confident he's trying his hand in coming up with his own Tomlinism when referring to how the offense doesn't need to put pressure on itself to show improvement.
"I don't want to give a pony a whole bunch of land and put him in a cage," Pickens said.
I realize I'm not the deepest thinker but I'm not exactly sure what he's getting at with this collection of words. I would assume he means he's the pony and they are going to let him run deep this year and not force him to catch short passes.
"I don't want the guys to feel like we have to do anything more than we had to do last year," Pickens said. "It's really the same thing. It's always going to be football. We just have to come out and play."
Whether that's making one-handed catches, which have become routine now for the second-year receiver from Georgia, or just something simple, Pickens has something to prove. If not to you or me, maybe just to the people who rank Madden 24 receivers. And if he makes them happy, likely everything else will fall into place.
"I want to show you guys something different," Pickens said compared to last year. "The questions you are asking, try to prove the truth to you guys. I'll let my play do the talking."
