Do George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. have officiating targets on their backs?
Both CB Joey Porter Jr. and WR George Pickens received considerable attention from the officials in Sunday’s game. While the Steelers won, the yellow laundry their two young studs drew made it more difficult. Pickens drew two flags, both for unsportsmanlike conduct, raising the threat of ejection. As for Porter, he drew six flags for holding and pass interference—one of each on the same play.
But the question is, did the officials tag Pickens and Porter disproportionately based on reputation? Neither of them are new to drawing flags, and Pickens has paid his share of fines, for similar infractions. In the case of Porter, his penalties tend to come in clumps, but they add up in a hurry.
You could certainly argue the case that George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. earned their flags, though. Some were more ticky-tack than others—Pickens argued his penalty for a violent gesture was misidentified—but one does wonder. For example, the violent gesture penalty is usually officiated post-game via fines, but they flagged Pickens. And while they flagged Porter six games for similar infractions, they didn’t officiate Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. nearly as strictly for repeated false starts—a staple of his game.
Officiating can always go either way in a game, and you simply have to live with it. But is there a genuine concern that George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. have targets on their backs for officials? Both of them enter games with a reputation that precedes them. Pickens has had plenty of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and Porter is a handsy defender. And in both cases, the reputation extends into their college play, as well.
Joey Porter Jr. has the most penalties among defensive backs. Although George Pickens has only been flagged three times all year, twice on Sunday, he has been fined on several other occasions for in-game infractions that could have drawn a penalty. So are we just dealing with bad luck or do officials have a quick trigger finger for Porter and Pickens?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
