If there is a Pittsburgh Steelers game on and WR George Pickens is playing, you can safely put money down on him making an impressive catch and trusting that you will get your investment back and then some. It’s to the point where great catches can be taken for granted just because you know a better one is just around the corner.
His 35-yard grab on the Steelers’ opening drive last night down to the Atlanta Falcons’ 1-yard line was quite the grab, to be sure. And yet it felt pedestrian to the man who has seen him catch any number of his own passes in more impressive fashion.
Asked after the game by NFL Network sideline reporter Cameron Wolfe where that Pickens catch would rank, QB Kenny Pickett said, “I don’t know, man. Like I said, it’s preseason. I think we’re gonna have a lot more than that, and we’ll have some better ones than that down the road”.
Racing down the right sideline, Pickens not only beat his man with some nice footwork off the line, he tracked the ball well while gauging his spacing, going up to make the catch while working to keep his body inbounds. All the while, his mind was on the end zone, attempting to lunge to cross the plane.
And yet it’s not even the best catch he’s had this offseason. He already had one play go viral just from a training camp practice. Make no mistake, the catch Pickens made last night and all it encompassed was certainly not easy, even if it is reasonable to have expected him to make it. But there are just so many more impressive plays to make.
And so many more to come. The Steelers gradually embraced over the course of his rookie season a year ago that he is going to make just about any catch that you can fit into his radius. Like similarly built receivers such as DeAndre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald, their 50/50 balls are much more of a winning proposition.
Although the degree of difficulty was not as great, Pickens’ catch in the first preseason game was actually a lot more to get excited about for what came after it. His run after catch all the way into the end zone has been a point of emphasis this offseason and that play is encouraging as an indicator of improvement in that area.
It’s one thing to make the impressive catch, but finishing plays is just as important. Ideally, you don’t want to be in the position to make circus catches, because those plays usually end at the catch point. You want to be hit in stride in open space.
We can only hope that Pickens has fewer opportunities this year to hit the highlight reel for improbable catches, because it could mean he is having more success getting open for the easier catches that allow him to maximize his playmaking abilities with the ball in his hands. Getting him the ball shouldn’t be such a show. The fireworks should come after that.
