A lot of today’s media consumption can be vibes-based, and not facts-based: Sometimes people run with the emotions surrounding a story instead of actually digging into the data and pertinent information.
That’s exactly what is going on with the uproar about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and his snap count. Yes, Pickens was held to a 2024 season-low 26 receiving yards on three catches after being targeted seven times — tied for the second most targets he’s had in a game so far through five weeks. He did also register a season-low 34 offensive snaps, nine fewer than his next-lowest total of 43, which he had in the Steelers’ 13-6 road win at the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
However, Pickens wasn’t freaked out about it when asked about his snap count on Thursday.
“It was just part of a game structure, game plan. You know, a lot of players play or something like that,” Pickens said Thursday, via PennLive.
Perhaps Pickens stirred the pot and gave people the idea that he was frustrated with his usage by wearing the statement “Open f—ing always” on his eye black tape in Week 5.
For context, Pickens registered 44 snaps in the team’s road win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, 43 snaps in a Week 2 win at the Denver Broncos, 48 snaps in a Week 3 win against the Los Angeles Chargers and 59 snaps in a Week 4 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh trailed 17-0 in Indianapolis, forcing the Steelers to throw the ball at a higher rate than they usually do. Quarterback Justin Fields threw a season-high 34 passes in Week 4, an uptick from his 2024 season average of 27.2 pass attempts per game, which rank 22nd in the league this season. The wideout had a simple reply when asked if he can “earn back” more snaps.
“No,” Pickens said. “That’s not on me. It’s all up to [Steelers OC] Art [Smith]. If Art wants to do a certain type of play or certain types of game plans,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-george-pickens-has-no-snap-count-concerns-what-numbers-say-about-wrs-usage-in-arthur-smith-offense/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2024-10-10 22:14:29
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