Interim OC Eddie Faulkner isn’t buying what WR George Pickens is trying to sell. A day after he told reporters he gave up on a goal-line run block to avoid potential injury, Faulkner said the effort, or lack thereof, that Pickens displayed wasn’t acceptable. And it must change going forward.
That’s what he told reporters during his Wednesday press conference with the media.
“You make it known that it’s not acceptable and you expect it to change,” he said, as tweeted by the PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo.
Via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, here are Faulkner’s full comments.
By now, Pickens’ lack of effort has been dissected a hundred times through. And Pickens did himself no favors by rationalizing his play as protecting himself against injury. On the doorstep of the end zone in a must-win game, that type of low-effort and self-preservation isn’t going to sit well with coaches, teammates, or fans.
Pickens is certainly a capable blocker who fired off the line and showed good initial effort. But he stopped instead of finishing his block, allowing the Colts corner to chip in on the tackle and stop RB Jaylen Warren short of the goal line. On a run to the other side, not throwing much of a block would likely be given a pass. But on a run play toward you, that block has to be made. At least, the effort has to be there.
If the Steelers are going to overcome all their issues, it’ll be through the details. Doing the little things to give you the edge to overcome personnel weaknesses, injuries, and the Steelers’ repeated mistakes.
While Faulkner made it clear Pickens didn’t meet the standard on that play, he added that the Georgia product is committed to the game.
“Being here with George every day, he’s a guy who loves it,” he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “He loves ball. He works at it. He wants to be good.”
While that might be true, it’s not showing up through Pickens’ actions. The sloppy routes that tend to break off. The blocking that isn’t there. The frustration that seeps in and rattles his cage. The Steelers can call it out all they want, they can offer every possible mentor, but Pickens will be the one to decide his future. Giving grace, he’s only 22, in his second NFL year, and it’s been a challenging season. A three-game losing streak doesn’t help take the heat off. But the Steelers need Pickens to be the best version of himself. He has three more games to show he can.
