On paper, the 3-7 Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The team is on pace to post its worst record of the 22nd century and our beloved black and gold seem closer to the first overall pick than the Super Bowl. Take heart, Steeler Nation because it is always darkest before dawn, they may have discovered the best quarterback and wide receiver tandem for the foreseeable future in the NFL.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_Photo)
Kenny Pickett to George Pickens should give Steelers fans hope for the future. The rookie-to-rookie combination has been a slow burn, but against the Cincinnati Bengals, they ignited when Pickett found Pickens for what should be the first of many touchdown hookups for the Steelers. Time will tell if they are Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth or Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown, but they have a real chance to be formidable.
Pickens and Pickett were not instantly forged as a dynamic duo when they first met at the combine in Indianapolis. But the Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver who does not lack confidence gravitated to the former Pitt Panther, almost instantly.
"Oh, he was really laid back, like a cool type of guy," Pickens said. "A lot of other QBs had different personalities. Kenny was just more of like a strict business. I don't want to say strictly business, but you know, laid back, and he's somebody not to joke around with, he's gonna go and take it seriously. He wanted to be great. That's really the biggest thing. He wanted to be great."
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver, George Pickens (#14) makes an extraordinary catch against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sept. 22, 2022. | Photo Credit: Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
The famous saying amongst young folks is game recognizes game. Pickens was a forgotten element in the 2022 draft and the NFL Young Boy slipped all the way to the 52nd pick and into the black and gold uniform that he will hopefully retire in after a great career. He is driven to be great and has already displayed that he may be T.J. Watt’s alien brother on offense with jaw-dropping catches.
"When we linked up, it was like old friends again," Pickens said. "So, we so I was saying, me and Kenny, like before we even got to the team, we were gonna get to, we've always been cool. So now we're just trying to sustain it.”
Pickett has played his best two games on offense the last two weeks and was exceptional in the first half against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium last Sunday. He targeted Pickens six times and the pair produced their first touchdown through the air, before a second-half game plan which seemingly forgot that Pickens existed for the entire third quarter.
Pickett did not look his way for a long time and the ordinarily sure-handed Pickens rewarded him with his first rookie mistake in garbage time. He dropped a sure touchdown after beating the Bengals secondary again. Even Ben Roethlisberger on his weekly podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger piled on the curious strategy of not taking advantage of the rookie playmaker.
“George Pickens has proven that he can make plays down the field. If you see him one on one or single high safety, let it go. Make it happen.”
Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) and offensive coordinator Matt Canada work on the game plan in preparation for the New Orleans Saints in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
Sage advice for Pickett, who may not be able to ‘audible’ check in Matt Canada’s bizarre little offensive fiefdom, but he should pull Pickens aside and tell him on decoy routes to be ready. If it is one on one, the guy going to Canton told me to look for you and that is exactly what I am going to do. If Canada can’t recognize what he has in Pickett to Pickens it is incumbent on the rookies who will both still be in Pittsburgh next season to do it themselves.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Should Pickett and Pickens focus on developing chemistry in the last seven weeks, regardless of the game plan? Comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq
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