As everybody expected, WR George Pickens was a focal point of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense in Week 1. He finished the game with six catches for 85 yards, and it would have been more if not for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty that negated one big play.
While Pickens is past the point of catching anybody off-guard at this point, he still faces a new dynamic. After the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson, he is now the No. 1 WR on a team that has no 2. The rest of the receivers combined for two catches for eight yards on three targets.
Thoughtful as he is, Pickens wants to make sure the Denver Broncos know what’s up. Many anticipate that they will have CB Patrick Surtain II shadow him, which is fine by him. “I went against Pat Surtain in college, so a lot of his stuff isn’t new for me”, he said via the Steelers’ website.
“He’s just a good player. It’s like a lot of players in here. They’re good players. I’m a good player. There’s a lot of good players around the league”, Pickens added in assessing Surtain. Asked if he and the Steelers had thought about how the Broncos plan to attack him, he said, “Just hope they have their plan correct. I don’t really know or care what they’re gonna do”.
That’s a very George Pickens comment, which often doesn’t read how it sounds. The Steelers receiver was just answering a question, the sort of question he doesn’t want to bother with. Simply put, he knows his job: beat the guy across from you. Whoever the Broncos throw at him, whether it’s Surtain or someone else, the goal doesn’t change.
Now in his third season, George Pickens is facing a critical time in his career. He could be in for a monumental payday if he has a big season. The Steelers were willing to pay Brandon Aiyuk elite money, so they will pay Pickens if they believe in him.
While everyone has always recognized Pickens’ stellar talent, the Steelers know that’s not the only factor to consider. He has certainly had his share of outbursts and things like that, which don’t always reflect well on him.
On the whole, however, he has seemed more mature this year. Even an early training camp face-off with Zach Azzanni amounted to nothing. His biggest blemish in the season opener was thinking he could score at the end of the first half. Fortunately, Pickens ultimately did no harm, and he owned up to the mental error later.
I do think Pickens has the right mentality when it comes to the Broncos, however. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who they throw out there because he has no control over that. What would you have achieved if you prepared for Surtain and they threw a curveball at you?
