Steelers’ George Pickens downplays his displays of frustration with lack of targets

Soon after George Pickens took to the locker room’s logoed-background staging area reserved for group media sessions, he interrupted a reporter’s question Wednesday morning.

Three days after he had one catch for 2 yards on two targets and was shown on CBS cameras purportedly complaining about his lack of involvement in the offense, Pickens wanted to get something off his chest.

“Before we start this, I ain’t gonna be just saying stuff for you all to just paint a (story and) make a statement bigger than what it is or make something bigger than what it is,” Pickens said. “Appreciate it.”

Questions pertaining to Sunday, of course, followed, with Pickens often dismissing them without answers.

“In general,” Pickens said, “I don’t want you guys (in the media) painting anybody in a different (unfair) light.”

George Pickens. He talked for 3.5 minutes pic.twitter.com/UD5KJdC5JH

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 7, 2022

The Steelers’ second-round pick, Pickens’ natural talent has wowed since summer workouts and training camp. He has made highlight-reel catches at practice and in games, and he leads Steelers wide receivers in touchdowns (three) and yards per reception (13.8).

But Pickens has had one catch or fewer (and three or fewer targets) in four of the Steelers’ 12 games this season. Sunday’s middling production in a 19-16 win at the Atlanta Falcons came after a three-game stretch since the Steelers’ bye in which Pickens had scored twice and averaged 65 yards from scrimmage, 3.3 catches and 5.3 targets per outing.

It also came in a city 70 miles from where he starred in college at Georgia.

Asked if he felt as if there were times he was open during Sunday’s game, Pickens said: “I feel like that’s just a, you know … I am just running the routes they say in the playbook.”

At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Pickens was spotted yelling at teammates as he walked toward the sideline while the punt team was coming onto the field. Cameras showed Pickens mouthing an expletive during his brief rant.

Coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday said he “wants” players who are competitive and desire to contribute to team success. But Tomlin added that Pickens was working on “the appropriate and professional and mature way to express that.”

"I laugh at that," #Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says of the criticism of George Pickens' sideline complaints. "Again, that’s one of the reasons why we’re continually progressing because we’re capable of tuning that BS out.”https://t.co/sI5GfDQCU0

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 7, 2022

For his part, Pickens said he believes “every player and literally every receiver in the past and (future)” has that I-want-the-ball demeanor.

“You’ve got (Hall of Famer Terrell Owens), I could be naming so many names,” Pickens said. “It’s just what (media) want to make it out to be.”

Quarterback Kenny Pickett acknowledged Pickens’ point about good receivers craving targets. Pickett also pointed out that, by the very nature of football, wide receivers have a scarcity of opportunity. An offense might run 60 plays — but only, maybe, 30 are passes, and some might have a predetermined target. On others, the defense might have schemed a certain player out of the play, or a teammate might have had a better matchup.

“Everyone wants the ball. Everyone wants to win,” Pickett said. “You never know who is going to have that big game. Sometimes, it may not be you one week, and maybe it’s another guy and it bounces around like that. It’s kind of how it is depending on what the defense is and how they are dictating me going with the football. We’ll continue to push forward and get our playmakers the football.”

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, only seven receivers across the NFL have a deeper depth of average target (14.1 air yards past the line of scrimmage) than Pickens. Pickens runs “go” routes (defined as when a receiver runs directly toward the end zone) more than any receiver in the league (43% of his routes through Week 12).

Pro Football Focus data relays that Pickens has the highest percentage of throws that are 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage (34%).

The longer the routes, as a general rule, the fewer the targets.

Related:

• Mike Tomlin wants Steelers WR George Pickens to express emotions in 'professional and mature' way
• Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin's deaf ear to criticism of George Pickens shows he's not listening to his quarterbacks either
• Mike Tomlin expects to see 'much better' play if Steelers face Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley
• Mark Madden: The Steelers could win out, but the season's a lost cause anyway
• Steelers coach Mike Tomlin senses 'weight' of 1st matchup with Ravens

Working against Pickens is a new receiving metric from ESPN that ranks him 93rd out of 111 qualifying receivers in ability to get open.

“I don’t got to really (respond),” Pickens said when told that. “That’s what they say. I don’t have to say nothing.”

Pickens said he has noticed opponents are applying to him more emphasis in regards to their coverage schemes than what teams were showing him at the beginning of the season.

As far as expressing frustration on the sidelines against the Falcons — other than it being caught on camera and shown to the television audience during the game — Pickens doesn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary.

“That’s happened with a lot of receivers in the past,” he said. “You see the video clips, it’s only what you paint it out to be. It’s nothing, that’s all.”

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