Wide receiver George Pickens has caused a stir with the Pittsburgh Steelers for all the wrong reasons the past week. First, he received criticism for his disinterest in blocking on a running play during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. Then, he shockingly admitted on December 19 that he wasn’t blocking on the play in order to avoid injury. Obviously, that garnered quite the reaction from Steelers and NFL media pundits.
While all of that reaction is interesting, it holds little importance. What really matters is how Pickens’ teammates, particularly running back Jaylen Warren, view the receiver’s recent blocking effort and comments. After all, it was Warren who may have been able to score a touchdown on the play where Pickens chose not to block. “George Pickens standing still like it’s draft night,” NFL Notifications X (formerly Twitter) account wrote.
“Some people play the game differently,” Warren told reporters, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo. “If I was in that position, I would have blocked for him. Week 15 wasn’t the first time Pickens received criticism for “taking plays off.” But after his missed opportunity to block near the goal line for Warren, Pickens received questions from the media about his blocking.The 22-year-old receiver ripped the media for the criticism.
