With Cowboys receiver George Pickens’ rookie contract expiring and his upcoming payday approaching, every good game matters.
So does every not-so-good game.
On Thursday night, something seemed a little off. Pickens was targeted nine times and had just five catches for just 37 yards. It was his lowest yardage output since Week 1, when he caught three passes for 30 yards against the Eagles.
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Another problem is his demeanor. At times, he seemed a little uncaring. At times, he seemed a little distracted. On one play, when a pass was thrown to him, he ran a route seemingly nonchalantly. Quarterback Dak Prescott seemed to have something to say to him.
Apparently, Richard Sherman had something to say about Pickens’ effort and demeanor during Prime Video’s postgame show. This prompted Pickens to respond on Instagram.
This is what happenedas SteelersDepot.com posted on Twitter. In it, Pickens attacked Sherman as a player, saying he “wouldn’t be booing without the Legion of Boom, and we all remember the San Francisco brothers.” (Sherman is a Pro Bowler and was named second-team All-Pro with the 49ers in 2019.)
Pickens also called Sherman a “Litchie weirdo.”
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I’m a huge fan of George Pickens. I believe the Steelers have never been able to take full advantage of his rare abilities in his three seasons there. I also think it’s imperative for a talented receiver to find ways to get the ball into his hands early, using bubble screens and jet sweeps if there’s no opportunity downfield.
The Lions apparently decided to move Pickens after receiver CeeDee Lamb left last night’s game with a concussion. That created an opportunity for Ryan Flonoy.
Still, Sherman was not wrong in his assessment. Pickens did feel frustrated at times, indifferent at times, and absent-minded at times. Sherman’s current position forces him to share his honest opinions based on what he sees.
Pickens needs to remember the reputation he had in Pittsburgh. Rightly or wrongly, he is sometimes portrayed as immature, sometimes unreliable, and sometimes unreliable. Even if he’s just reacting to the team’s chronic failure to get the most out of him (they’re currently doing the same thing with DK Metcalf, by the way), it’s part of how many fans view him. When he behaves in a way that seems consistent with the past, past perceptions quickly change to current reality.
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The Cowboys, for their part, wisely sidestepped the question of whether Pickens was at full strength Thursday night.
“I’m going to judge George,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday when asked about Pickens’ performance against the Lions. on his job And everything he’s shown, he’s an elite player, he’s a game-changer. “
Owner/GM Jerry Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas and was asked a similar question. “He didn’t play the game he’s been playing,” Jones said. “But try hard, I’ll be very careful where he goes.“.
The Cowboys have no choice but to view last night as an aberration and continue to work with him in an effort to get him fully committed. But Pickens also has a responsibility.
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Now he’s four games away from getting paid, and his case for a market-level deal will be strengthened by market-level performance. He’d been through it several times in recent weeks. Last night, he didn’t. Upcoming opponents will file this away and develop their defensive game plans while taking into account the potential physical and mental benefits of taking him out of the game.
If anything, last night’s performance — and his outburst at Sherman — underscored the value of trying to do that. How he reacts in these situations will necessarily be part of the balance that needs to be achieved when formulating the long-term offer he will receive from the Cowboys or another team.
