The Pittsburgh Steelers have another unruly wide receiver on their hands.
George Pickens, the team’s number-one threat in the passing game, has caught a lot of heat throughout the week for how he carried himself during the team’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. It appears the Steelers’ coaching staff was just as unhappy with Pickens as the fans and media.
Pickens only played in 34 of 58 offensive snaps for the Steelers in Sunday’s loss. It was a close game, with Dallas winning 20-17. If Pickens could’ve been there for his teammates, there might’ve been a different outcome.
According to The Spun, Pickens talked to reporters on Thursday about being taken off the field.
“It was just part of a game structure, game plan. You know, a lot of players play or something like that,” Pickens said.
“It’s not up to me. It’s up to Art. If Art wants to do a certain type of play or certain types of game plans, it’s going to be different.”
Arthur Smith, the “Art” Pickens is referring to and the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, told the media that Pickens seemed totally fine with the reduced snap count.
“I didn’t sense any frustration from the snap count,” Smith said of the situation. “I think anytime, as long as I’ve been in the NFL, everybody handles emotions different, trying to win games, but I didn’t ever get that sense.”
It’s a bizarre situation and the explanations being provided don’t make much sense, considering the Steelers haven’t taken this approach with Pickens before. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the Steelers’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
