It’s the time of year when George Pickens becomes the center of the Steelers’ discussion for the wrong reasons. And it’s less about his eye black or others’ facemasks leaping into his hands. No, this time the subject is something he has no direct control over: his playing time.
Pickens played under 60 percent of the Steelers’ snaps on Sunday, and few buy Tomlin’s explanation. He insists that, despite it being a career low and well outside Pickens’ norm, it’s all part of a standard rotational process. While he admitted that Pickens’ efforts on his routes were a factor in wanting to manage his snaps more, he painted the prettiest picture he could to explain it.