With a third-straight loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers have more questions than answers as they move into the final three games of their season. Losing games in the NFL is one thing, but when players are consistently showing a lack of effort on the field, that is a whole other issue. On the second offensive drive of the game for the Steelers, George Pickens was seen checking out of a play that resulted in Jaylen Warren getting tackled at the 1-yard line. Pickens’ man stopped Warren short while Pickens was standing around at the end of the play. Former NFL OL Kyle Long talked about Pickens’ lack of effort on CBS Sports’ Pregame Show on Sunday morning.
“Big Ben ain’t wrong,” Long said. “And I got on my list here, I just have ‘George Pickens’ written down. You know what? I watched the highlights of the low red. I’m watching this game, you watch the low red area, you get your running back tackled at the 2-yard line with you standing there with your hands on your hips. And this has kind of become a microcosm for what I believe the issues are in Pittsburgh.”
Long was referring to Ben Roethlisberger’s comments that the “Steeler Way” is finished in Pittsburgh. The assertion is that nobody would have been okay with that type of effort from Pickens on the Steelers’ teams of old. It shouldn’t be tolerated by the coaches or players on either side of the ball. This is not the first time that the Steelers’ receivers have been called out for low effort. It is one thing if the run is going the opposite direction of you on the field and you don’t give 100 percent effort, but this was a toss play to Pickens’ side.
“I think that his team doesn’t have leadership,” Long continued. “They choose their leader by who’s the most skilled guy on the field, and unfortunately for them, number 14, George Pickens is the most talented guy on this football team.”
Pickens was also partially responsible for one of the two interceptions that occurred in this game. Both of them were Trubisky targeting Pickens. One was air mailed way over his head, but the other was a 50-50 jump ball that Pickens got beat on.
“When Mitch [Trubisky] throws you a jump ball and you’re the biggest, freakiest guy on the field and you get Randy Mossed between the hashes, I take issue with it…You know what else, the guys in that locker room should [take issue], and they haven’t,” Long said.
None of us are in the locker room to know what is — or isn’t — being said behind closed doors, but the optics suggest that there is a lack of leadership, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. How else do these players keep getting away with a lack of effort in big moments? If there was ever a time to put in extra effort it would have been this week, following back-to-back losses and with the playoffs hanging in the balance. The team had an opportunity to prove ut has grit, but instead the criticism will continue piling on.
