PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There is a receiver in-house that George Pickens believes can do a lot for the Steelers offense. Van Jefferson already has a role, but Pickens believes it can expand.
“Van got great routes, that’s the first thing I knew about Van,” Pickens said. “He can do a lot for us in the passing game, for sure.”
Jefferson believes every week his role is growing within the offense, not just with adding Russell Wilson at quarterback. He said he can only do what he is coached to do and said he will do whatever he can to help the offense. He said he will do whatever he can to get a win, as he put it, do his part in the room.
He believes as Wilson continues to work the rust off, the Steelers offense can be more explosive. The more practice and repetition with Russ, the more they will continue to improve.
Wilson said on Thursday ‘it’s part of our game to facilitate the ball to different guys. I think it’s a big part of how I always think about it is just every body’s live, everybody’s working to get open. And we got a lot of great receivers doing that.’
“Always want to hear that,” Jefferson said Friday. “You definitely want to be involved in the game. Obviously, Russ is going to go through his reads and go with the best person throughout his reads. At the end of the day, just getting open for him. Find a spot in the zone for him and when the ball finds a way, make the opportunity count.”
This season Jefferson has caught 10 of the 16 passes thrown his way for 77 yards and finally got his first touchdown, against the Jets. Where his father coaches.
“It was cool to get in the end zone and celebrate with my teammates,” Jefferson said. “It’s an awesome feeling every time I get to go up against my dad and be on the same field as him. It’s just a blessing, so grateful for it.”
“Super-happy because he does a lot of the dirty work on the offense, blocking, stuff like that,” Pickens said. “When we see Van, his dad coached for the Jets. It was just a full-circle moment for him.”
Throw some money down the next time Van plays against his father. It’s the fourth time in his five-year NFL career he has scored against him. Now he’s trying to score and make a bigger impact in games where he father isn’t there.