On again playing more snaps, Steelers George Pickens says 'It's all up to (Arthur Smith)'

Thursday morning at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex began with George Pickens unaffected and somewhat defiant by the questions – fair or unfair – in recent days regarding his effort, attitude, playing time and production.

By the time practice ended late in the afternoon, the men who deliver the ball to the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver expressed that they had his back.

“You definitely have to feel for him,” said the starting quarterback for every Steelers game this season, Justin Fields. “He’s passionate about the game. He knows how great of a player he is. It’s tough. I try to talk to him on the sideline and keep him up.”

The man who’s purportedly still the Steelers’ QB1 – and/or is trending toward starting soon – was even more complimentary of Pickens, by far the team’s most talented wide receiver.

“With George, I try to relate to him,” Russell Wilson said. “No. 1, we love him, love who he is, love the player he is, love the competitor he is. That’s the thing you have to understand.

“Is George a bad teammate? Absolutely not. Is George a hell of a player? Absolutely. Is he a great competitor? Absolutely. Is he a guy who wants the ball? Absolutely. Is he a guy that can do anything on the field that most people can’t? absolutely.

“I think best thing we can focus on is finding different ways of getting him the ball.”

Pickens caught the ball only three times and gained only 26 yards during the Steelers’ most recent game, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday. But it wasn’t Pickens’ paltry stat line as much as it was that he played a career-low offensive snaps that raised the most eyebrows.

“It’s just part of game-structure game plan,” Pickens said early Wednesday in his first media session in a week. “(Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith) wants to do a certain type of play or certain type of game plan, then it’s going to be different.”

Is there anything Pickens can do to earn a full complement of offensive snaps again?

“No,” Pickens said. “It’s not on me, it’s all up to Art.”

Pickens played fewer snaps than fellow receivers Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III against the Cowboys, and his 34 snaps numbered eight fewer than his previous career-low, set during his rookie season two years ago.

Coach Mike Tomlin attributed the drop to load management, implying it was a scientific effort to maximize performance by limiting fatigue. Smith’s explanation was more than it was gameplan-specific to Dallas’ defense and mentioned that an overall lack of plays also adversely affected Pickens’ playing time.

“He still played the majority of the snap counts, all those critical downs,” Smith said. “You’re talking a one-game sample size of things.”

Many have speculated that Pickens’ lessened usage was the Steelers coaches’ reaction to his actions and attitude, or an outright display of discipline for them. Pickens, for example, during Sunday’s game slammed his helmet to the ground on the sidelines.

“When it’s third down and you don’t convert, (it’s frustrating),” Pickens said. “A lot of fans were mad, as well.”

Said Smith: “George is an emotional guy. He does that every game.

Smith implied that modern television broadcasts simply catch more footage.

“There’s so many cameras out there, it’s like you’re working on ‘The Truman Show.’”

One incident that didn’t need an auxiliary shot to catch was when moments after the game officially ended via the Cowboys’ Jourdan Lewis picking up a fumble on a desperation play, Pickens grabbed Lewis by the facemask and Lewis was flung to the ground.

Pickens downplayed the sequence, calling it “nothing.”

It will, however, likely draw a fine from the NFL, as will another act by Pickens on Sunday: a message written Pickens’ eye-black tape for the game read, “Open (expletive) always.”

The league has a ban on personal messages, and the use of profanity also figures to draw the NFL’s ire. Pickens, though, said he was unaware of any rule and that he did not expect any repercussions.

“It was just eye black,” he said.

“Never seen (a rule against messages) before,” Pickens said moments later, addressing a reporter. “Have you seen it before?”

Pickens was told that in 2015 Steelers captain Cameron Heyward was fined for honoring his late father, Craig, with his nickname “Iron Head.”

“Years ago? When I wasn’t in the league?”

An aspect of Pickens’ performance Sunday that won’t draw NFL discipline but rankled some teammates and perhaps could draw internal ire from coaches was that on several snaps Pickens was seen giving minimal effort in jogging while running some routes.

If that was out of frustration due to his diminished usage, Pickens wasn’t saying so Thursday. But he did respond in disagreement when it was posited if Pickens felt he needed to do a better job handling in-game adversity — including penalties called on him, or non-calls on opponents — and the associated ebbs and flows.

“I wouldn’t really say that,” Pickens said. “That’s all on the refs. That should show you where the refs are this season.”

How does Pickens plan to manage his frustrations?

“You just keep working,” he said.