A lot of teams stayed away from wide receiver George Pickens in the draft, are the Steelers going to regret they didn’t?
After Sunday (actually early Monday’s) 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said Pickens wasn’t benched but “we just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity.”
For some reason, Tomlin can’t just tell reporters and the public that Pickens was benched.
Joe Starkey said on Monday that Tomlin’s “best and only” wide receiving threat was benched while the team was desperately trying to win a primetime game at home.
Fan Steelers insider Mark Kaboly said on The Fan Morning Show that the Steelers must think reporters are stupid after giving the explanation about limiting Pickens’ reps.
“You think we’re going to buy this one?”
“No, there’s something going on here,” said Kaboly about Pickens.
With Pickens on the sidelines, Kaboly pulled out his binoculars and saw something “very entertaining.”
“Terrible body language, throwing helmets and I’m not going to say specific names here, and I was just shocked, he went over, was not happy that he was probably not playing, sat on the bench next to a player, the player immediately got up, walked two benches to the right and sat next to the punter,” said Kaboly.
Pickens didn’t talk to anyone in the locker room after the game, as well.
At the end of the game, Pickens was seen pulling on the facemask of Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Walking to the locker room, Lewis was heard saying, “Pittsburgh need a receiver, George Pickens weak.”
But, Pickens is the only sure talent the Steelers have at WR.
Pickens played 34 of 57 offensive snaps, had seven targets and three catches for 26 yards. He doesn’t have a touchdown yet this season.
He’s the Steelers’ one legitimate wide receiving threat on the team, but he’s also the one with an apparent attitude problem.
Pickens will likely face a fine for grabbing Lewis’ facemask at the end of the game. He could also be fined again for the words on this eye black, “open f***ing always.”