Is George Pickens really “soft”?
During the course of the 2024 season, Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens has gotten under people’s skin. At least three times, opponents have made comments about him and questioned his toughness, usually right after a game.
Just off the top of my head, we had Cowboys DB Jourdan Lewis calling George Pickens weak. Later in the season, Browns DB Greg Newsome II called him a “fake tough guy”. Now we have an anonymous Ravens player casually referring to Pickens as soft in a playful video about teammate Lamar Jackson’s new cologne. You can supply your own joke about what the name of the scent is. Presumably something about his inability to win the Super Bowl—or even get to it.
But anyway, I digress. Ultimately, what is behind all of these comments? Is George Pickens just getting under people’s skin—or are they getting under his soft skin? For what it’s worth, Pickens has basically admitted that teams know they can get to him.
I grant that I have an obvious Steelers bias given my job. With that said, I can’t recall any other NFL player receiving this many comments from opponents as Pickens in such a short period of time, all hitting on the same theme.
So what is behind all the comments, and to what exactly do they refer? When he wants to be, George Pickens, rather than soft, can be quite a physical player. Lately, however, it hasn’t seemed he has had much interest in showing it. He has even talked about essentially making business decisions as an excuse for not blocking for a teammate.
Are these the kind of things guys like Newsome and Lewis are talking about? Are they talking about Pickens’ emotional maturity, his mental “softness”, repeatedly allowing his frustration to get the better of him?
And more importantly, how do he and the Steelers fix it? Because teams are already targeting Pickens and trying to rattle him, thinking he’s soft. He is going to carry this reputation around with him until he can prove it’s not true. The problem is, at least up to this point, it seems it has been. At least his opponents seem to think so.
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 playoffs are here, following a grueling regular season. 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.
