Two weeks ago, effort was the concern over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting wide receivers. Diontae Johnson watching a fumble roll by him, not even trying to circle back and chase down the return. George Pickens stopping up on a goal-line block, later saying he didn’t want to get injured. With two victories, those talks have quieted down. And interim OC Eddie Faulkner sees Pickens and Johnson upping their games in big ways and small.
“On the play that got called back on Diontae’s turnover that [got] overturned, GP form-tackled the safety right there in the middle of the field,” Faulkner said as shared by 93.7 The Fan. “Made a play. Diontae is running out of bounds from the sideline. You want to pull up a clip and see how that’s changed, that’s the clip.”
So, let’s look at the clip. Johnson awkwardly lost control of the ball in the first half of Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks and it scooped out of the air by Seahawks safety Michael Jackson. Pickens chased Jackson down and made a great wrap-up tackle to take him down as Johnson sprinted over to help clean things up if needed.
A contrast from some of the effort shown on tape weeks ago. While effort is a continual event, one positive or negative play doesn’t conclude anything, it’s an encouraging sign that Pickens and Johnson received the message. The “turnover” was ultimately negated by Johnson touching the ball while out of bounds, rendering the play dead, and Pittsburgh kept possession. Pickens had his own sideline fumble later but on the whole, the two provided far more good than bad in a winning effort.
Throughout the controversy with both players, Johnson against the Bengals, Pickens against the Colts, Faulkner and the coaching staff maintained the same message: work with both players to correct their mistakes.
“Lot of times you’d guys ask me if they’re buying in,” Faulkner said Wednesday. “We’d tell you ‘yes’ and you’d look at us like we’re crazy. I think that’s what they’re doing. Buying in.”
If those two keep buying in, the sky’s the limit. It helps they’re able to reap fruits from their labor. Pickens has been on a tear the last two weeks, putting up 130-plus yards in each of Pittsburgh’s wins, while Johnson had a solid outing against the Seahawks, finishing with four catches for 76 yards. With his performance, he now has the ninth-most receiving yards in Steelers history and it’s possible that by the end of next year, the only players who will have more than him are Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, Heath Miller, John Stallworth, Louis Lipps, and Lynn Swann. Pretty solid company.
Pickens is looking to have one of the best seasons of any second-year wide receiver in Steelers’ history. Their play and their effort are putting the offense back on track as Pittsburgh looks to make a playoff push.
