The Steelers should've kept George Pickens for this season

Pickens departure isn't all on him though. He did bring about his own undoing but not without some unfortunate circumstances.


Let's not forget that the Offensive Side of the ball was poorly constructed prior to the arrival of George Pickens. The pieces on Offense though weren't the issue by themselves. The abhorrent Coaching Hires were not much better; musical chairs along the Offensive Line being chief among them in Shaun Sarrett and Adrian Klemm. Frisman Jackson has had many, many stints during his time in the NFL; unable to keep a spot long term. 2022 saw the likes of Pat Meyer but that didn't materialize. Chief among these bad Coaching Hires was Matt Canada; the first Coach the Steelers had fired since World War II...... over four generations ago. His hiring was not just bad and atrocious isn't the better term either. It was abominable beyond comprehension. If anything, keeping Matt Canada another year is what likely wore down not just Pickens but the entirety of the Offense for nearly two whole seasons. Quarterback play wasn't much better with Kenny Pickett. That said however, throwing a Rookie QB behind an Offense which was potentially worse than a 1940s Offense isn't just Coaching Malpractice but also Organizational Malpractice.


Even if not accounting for the numerous Offensive Blunders of the Organization is the even worse personnel management decisions by Tomlin. Placing a literal "Diaper Dandy" in Broderick Jones in an unwinnable situation upon thrusting him as a Right Tackle despite him primarily playing left was beyond unreal. Signing a FA Vet either before the draft or after the draft to man that spot would have been the better play (though by how much given Matt Canada's ghastly play calling that season). The Kendrick Green saga has been beaten to death so there is no need to continue that; same goes for Mason Cole as well. The biggest might have been this past season in which Nate Herbig was slated to start over Zach Frazier even though Frazier was the superior of the two options. Had it not been for Nate Herbig's untimely end, who knows what the 2024 Season would have looked like as Zach Frazier was arguably the best Offensive Player on the team.


Now, how does any of that have to do with George?! Simple; a lack of progression from the Offense. In George's mind, if the Offense doesn't progress, neither should he. Not a mindset I'd agree on personally but I'd bet good money that was the thought process behind him constantly quitting on plays far more in 2024 than any point. George was likely burned out in Pittsburgh due to the extreme lack of any form of positive gains from the Offense. This doesn't absolve him of any form of blame but it is a very good possibility I wouldn't rule out.


Keeping him in 2025 likely would have resulted in more of the same; Aaron Rodgers included. Why?! Arthur Smith doesn't incorporate many passing concepts to WR's anyways and with the addition of Jonnu Smith will likely pass it to Wideouts even less. Those concepts for WRs are still there but pale in comparison to the Tight Ends. Ground and pound is very much the "Steeler Way" but Arthur Smith simply has his take on it. Due to that, George was incompatible and therefore needed to be traded elsewhere.



Long story short?! George Pickens' time wore out in Pittsburgh due to a combination of possible burnout with the team, horrendous Roster Building during his time here and an Offense that is incompatible with his skills.

 

You can't wait on a bet You were too chicken $hit to bet, and then later say you made a bet. That's not how betting works. You have to actually agree to the bet.

 

Although I agreed with @Steelersfan43 , You make a very valid point. We shall see how this plays out.

 

Want old STD to tell you what it's like??? LoL

 

Dude....nobody is saying he can't play, at least I don't think they are, I believe we are saying He was too much, and this is from coaches that put up with a lot from players.

 

Thank you for the kind offer but for now I will pass

 

Well yeah

 

Can you provide proof you accepted the bet or is this liar liar pants on fire

Providing proof is very easy with the search function

Go for it and save your reputation

Otherwise get banned to the litter box

 

i blame Tomlin for a lot. But not for this. You have to get rid of malcontents. No matter the talent.

 

It would have been in a thread before the playoff game I tried Searching his name but it only goes back so far. I’ll see if I can dig it up but I know it happened. Of course with a stranger on a message board I assumed there would be no paying so I’m only messing with his big mouth. @Steelersfan43 can you dig this up? Would have been before the playoff game time wise. Only thing I found was Hanratty saying I hope he didn’t take that bet. I know you’re good at digging stuff up.

 

You’re so full of **** and wrong 80% of the time. Let’s get some more guarantees this year! All bark and no bite.

 

Take your last word and change the vowel i and then u

 

If they hadn't signed Metcalf I'd agree, but having him made Pickens redundant. They are both down-the-field contested catch types of receivers. You need quick route runners to compliment those types of receivers. I guess we're hoping that Austin and Wilson are those guys, but we'll see? We really don't have any idea if Roman Wilson can do anything, but hopefully he at least stays on the field long enough to contribute something.

Pickens character issues make him hard to miss despite his talent. The fact he's now on the Cowboys will make it even more fun to root for him to fail miserably.