Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens played in less than 60% of the team’s snaps last Sunday, which is unusual for a top target. Since he was a complete outlier with only 3 years of experience, he naturally attracted attention. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith insists he’s not sure why, as he attempted to explain.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, Pickens said it’s up to Smith to play him more. Instead, when asked about the recipient’s comments, Smith zoomed out rather than zoomed in to record his history with other recipients. He also pointed out that the Steelers’ history of WR1 playing time is not his history.
George Pickens “still accounted for most of the snap counts and all of the critical downs,” Smith said. steelers transcript. “You’re talking about a sample size of one game and I don’t know the historical record here. I don’t know what has changed philosophically. Maybe there was a particular wideout who played 100% of the snaps. “Normally that doesn’t happen, there are outliers.”
If you look at most true top receivers, you’ll see that they often play at or close to 100%. This is not universally true, but few people, even if healthy, fall below 60%. The reason Pickens’ play time has become a hot topic is because of its novelty.
Who decides to play Pickens is a factor in the conversation Smith mentioned. He said all those decisions were made in collaboration with the players, including Mike Tomlin. Tomlin said Tuesday that he expressed no concerns about his use because Pickens explained everything to him.
“To be honest, it might have been a reaction to how the game went, but that wasn’t the case this year,” Smith said. “Sunday night was a little bit unusual, small possessions, things to prepare for, trying to attack, but not having much success. Each person has a different perception. [about Pickens’ usage]And I understand it. That’s what usually happens when you lose.”
It is true that these things tend to generate more discussion amidst the loss. Would we care nearly as much if George Pickens barely played in a Steelers win? Probably not. Because what we do after a loss is find a solution.
And considering Pickens is the Steelers’ best wide receiver, it would seem logical to keep him on the field. He is the one who can play most consistently, even though he is prone to making a lot of mistakes. He caught a disappointing dropped pass on third down last Sunday. But he has played in all 11 of the Steelers’ passes in obvious passing situations, which Smith pointed out.
The question now is what percentage of snaps Pickens plays going forward. Smith knows people will take note of that fact tomorrow. He can’t have it dictate how it executes its attacks, but he can’t be unaware of it either.
