The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most frustrating offenses in all of professional football. That hasn't been the case for solely the 2023 season. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada, took over in 2021 and the unit has unarguably been one of the NFL's worst. The organization has managed to float above .500 since the promotion of Canada, but the defense has received much more credit during the play-callers tenure due to the lack of offensive consistency. The worst part about it for fans is that the organization seemingly has enough talent on offense to be way more successful than they have been.
One of the many talents within the locker room in 2023 is wide receiver, George Pickens. The pass catcher is widely known for his incredible and acrobatic catches, but also is quite the personality in the locker room. Following the Steelers rough Week 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he spoke to the media about the team's short week and Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
Pickens is not known for being all too conversational with the media, despite his overwhelming trash talk and passion on the field. During his Tuesday media availability, a reporter asked him about being double-teamed consistently. He was short and sweet, implying that he can't pass himself the ball. All he has the ability to do is to try and get open.
"I can't do nothing, ya know, but just to run my route. That's pretty much it."
Pickens was targeted five times against the Jaguars and only had one catch that resulted in a 22-yard touchdown. It's clear that double-teamed or not, the receiver believes that he should be the focal point of the offense.
The questions didn't stop coming Pickens' way and he was also questioned about the share of wealth on offense. His tone wasn't exactly chipper and he gave a rather team-friendly answer, despite his clear frustration.
"Yeah, we're spreading the ball around a lot. As an offense, you can't really ask for the ball too much. Everybody got to get their chances," Pickens said.
Pickens was quoted earlier in the session about only having the ability to run the route he is supposed to without controlling anything else. He made a point to bring it up once against when a member of the media asked him if it remains advantageous for the offensive strategy to line him up against single coverage on one side of the field.
"It's always helpful, ya know, to have more space; better chance of getting open when you got more space, but, uh, you know, all I can do is run my route."
It almost seems as if Pickens believes that he is doing what's asked of him while "running his route" and getting open, but he isn't fully pleased with how his involvement has been in 2023.
Steelers' Pickens Remains Best Offensive Weapon
Pickens is still, by far, Pittsburgh's strongest playmaker on offense in 2023. He has 28 catches for 522 yards and three touchdowns. His frustration about not being more of a focal point is speculative, but there's no doubt that his media session on Tuesday could raise questions about how the wide receiver truly feels when it comes to the Steelers offense.
The short responses from Pittsburgh's most dynamic pass catcher could be looked at negatively, or just viewed as a frustrated player speaking after a game in which the winning team called him out afterwards. Overall, it still seems like Pickens is upset with how his season has gone, despite him being on pace to have his first career 1,000-yard season.
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