Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens drew two very avoidable penalties this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, one of which has been talked about more than the other. He was flagged for an illegal crackback block in the first quarter that negated a third-down conversion by WR Diontae Johnson. In the fourth quarter, a post-play taunting penalty negated most of the yardage he had just gained on a catch of his own.
The penalty came as a result of him getting in the face of CB Cobie Durant after making a catch against him for 18 yards. The 15-yard taunting penalty was enforced after the play, resulting in a 1st and 10 from the 23-yard line instead of the 38.
The unnecessary penalty ultimately did not hurt the Steelers, as they wound up scoring a touchdown on the drive to take the lead. But Pickens expects that other defensive backs will continue to try to draw him into penalties as he claims the Rams’ corners did.
“That was the first game that ever happened to me, but like I was saying, that’s probably gonna come more”, he said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, meaning more defensive backs trying to get under his skin and induce him into committing penalties or otherwise making mistakes.
“That’s just me competing. I didn’t know, and I’m pretty sure the other guy didn’t know I was gonna get a flag or he was gonna be involved in a situation like that, just from talking back and forth”, he added. “I just know now, guys are looking out for me, just trying to antagonize me, but all I can do is play my hardest”.
For context, it was the first taunting penalty of the game for the Steelers, but not the first time the subject had come up. RB Najee Harris and the team were warned about taunting back in the first quarter when he also got into the face of a defender.
Had it been the first play like that all game, perhaps it wouldn’t have been flagged. And to be fair to Pickens, he doesn’t ordinarily get up into people’s faces like that, which leads me to believe that Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon really were trying to antagonize him.
“I instantly went back home and started watching highlights and one-on-one battles”, he said, after getting a taunting penalty. “That’s just the game of football. I feel like they made it seem like I was such in the wrong, but that’s just the game of football. Every DB’s gonna do that”.
Up next is a Jacksonville Jaguars team that features a college teammate of his who might be lining up across from him, Tyson Campbell, a 2021 second-round pick. They spent a lot of time together, so there probably will be some words. “I don’t know. I know him personally so it wouldn’t be surprising”, he said. But if he does, “He’ll find out”.
