There are two sides to every story. The entire time the Pittsburgh Steelers and the media tried to actively assassinate George Pickens' character, I did not think that was entirely fair. Again, he may have starred for my beloved Georgia Bulldogs, but he also did not play for the same Steelers teams of yesteryear. They failed to realize that their impenetrable culture is crumbling at the very foundation.
I could go on and on about how the team needed to pivot off head coach Mike Tomlin yesteryear, but I do not write his checks. The Rooney Family does. But now that Pickens plays for the Dallas Cowboys, a situation where his mercurial tendencies could be exposed even more, I do not really buy into the idea that he is some horrible malcontent or a locker room distraction. Pittsburgh loves its own chaos!
If you want proof things are probably going to be different in Dallas, listen to Brian Schottenheimer.
"He obviously is a tremendous athlete, but I love watching him in meetings, because in meetings, he's been so dialed in, taking great notes. He knows he's a little bit behind, not a lot, but a little bit behind in terms of what the veterans are doing. But his intentionality in the meeting room has been really cool for me to see."
I never once questioned his love for the game, his football acumen or his attention to detail in Athens.
The fact he has a real NFL quarterback throwing him the ball in his role as a No. 2 receiver serves him.
Brian Schottenheimer's praise of George Pickens speaks volumes here
What people fail to realize is Pickens and Schottenheimer share a few connections. They both helped Georgia try to win games. Schottenheimer was Mark Richt's final offensive coordinator before he was let go over a decade ago. Pickens was the most talented wide receiver to play at Georgia since A.J. Green. I think they also share a bit of the same mixed reviews they get from their critics in the media.
To this day, Schottenheimer struggles to overcome his famous last name. He is the son of Martyball after all. Pickens may have put forth the single-most dominant performance I have seen out of a Georgia receiver in the Kirby Smart era vs. Baylor in the 2020 Sugar Bowl, but nobody remembers that. They just look at him as the guy who could not make it work with Kenny Pickett's tiny hands.
Overall, I think Pickens will play some of his best football this season for the Cowboys. He might play unencumbered for the first time since turning pro. Dak Prescott is a consistenly reliable passer. CeeDee Lamb would be a No. 1 wide receiver on pretty much every team in the league. Pickens is at his best as part of an ensemble cast. He had that at Georgia, never in Pittsburgh, but now in Dallas.
Trouble will always find the Steelers because the franchise fails to realize Tomlin is an agent of chaos.