The Pittsburgh Steelers have been spiraling out of control as they’ve lost three straight and moved to .500 on the season.
Recently, tensions have been rising between players concerning effort.
Jaylen Warren Calls Out George Pickens for Not Blocking
In last Saturday’s loss to the Colts, receiver George Pickens did not block for running back Jaylen Warren on a play near the goal line. Rather, he stood still and let a Colts defender tackle Warren a yard shy of the end zone in Saturday’s 30-13 loss to the Colts.
Warren said things would have been different if roles were reversed.
“I see where he’s coming from,” Warren told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, he was doing what he thought was best for him.
“Some people play the game differently. If I was in that position, I would have blocked for him. But we play differently, so…”
Pickens lack of effort yet again. Bruh, the running play is to your side! The Steelers problems aren’t just at QB.
– Pickett didn’t play today so you can’t blame him. They have a leadership, culture and coaching issue.
– Canada had no business coming back this year as OC,… pic.twitter.com/JpJ9W9iJO5— Edwin🎙️ (@EdwinSphere) December 17, 2023
The receiver said the reason he didn’t block for Warren was that he didn’t want to get injured on the play.
”I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation,” Pickens said Tuesday following practice. “The same thing happened to Tank Dell. I didn’t want to get an injury. If you stay on the block too long, you can get run up on very easily.
“All the people that’s questioning my effort, they don’t play football, they do what y’all do.”
Pickens is often under scrutiny for the way he plays and has been called out for failing to put in maximum effort.
Mike Tomlin said Wednesday that Pickens will play in Saturday’s game against the Bengals, a must-win contest for the Steelers to keep their playoff hopes alive.
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“Because he’s got talents,” Tomlin said when asked why he would play Pickens. “We want to utilize them. He’s very much in growth and development. But it would be the very same if we were winning games or he said appropriate things to you guys. That would have made you guys go away, but that wouldn’t have made me any more comfortable about this process that he’s going through.
“It will continue to require our attention. I’m just acknowledging it’s a process, and our posture based on present circumstances won’t change.”
While not blocking in that scenario was the biggest mistake Pickens made in that game, it was not the only one.
Mitch Trubisky threw an interception late in the game to Colts safety Julian Blackmon, and Pickens was the intended target and closest Steelers player to Blackmon. Pickens did not attempt to chase down Blackmon but ran in the other direction to avoid making the tackle.
Interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said Pickens was called out in front of the team after the Colts game.
“You address it,” Faulkner said. “You present it to the group. You make sure it’s called out among the guys, and they understand what your stance is, and then you move on from it. He’s a young guy who has to continue to learn how to be a professional.”
Pickens is in the second year of a four-year rookie contract, and Tomlin said they are committed to him.
“George is a talented guy, but he’s growing, and growing in a lot of ways in regards to football and life,” Tomlin said. “We don’t run away from that. We run to that as an organization. When we draft guys, we’re committed to being part of their growth and development in all areas. He is very much a work in progress…”
The Steelers have a critical matchup on the horizon against the Cincinnati Bengals, where they will look to take home a win to stay in playoff contention.
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