Justin Jefferson Sounds Off on George Pickens’ Effort Comments: ‘Don’t Live by That’
George Pickens’ comments have caught fire from around the NFL, so much so, that other receivers around the league are being asked about it. That includes Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, who was asked about Pickens’ quote that he did not want to get injured after he fell off a block on a Jaylen Warren run near the goal line against the Indianapolis Colts.
“I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to (him). I didn’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too long, you can get ran up on very easily,” Pickens said.
That drew Pickens under fire in Pittsburgh and nationally. It has erupted into a discussion about more than just Pickens, but about Pittsburgh’s culture and what occurs in the locker room as the team has spiraled down the stretch, losing three straight after sitting at 7-4. Jefferson said that while he had not heard those comments, the explanation does not make that much sense from his perspective.
“I saw the plays, but I didn’t see where he said that,” Jefferson said to the media. “I mean, it all depends. You know, there’s ways of preventing that by blocking right with the technique that you use. So I mean, that’s a little excuse but uh, we don’t we don’t live by that. If you make it a focus, if you make it a priority to go out there and block for your teammates, you know, you’re blocking [could] be that touchdown, that touchdown block that we need.”
Since that comment, Mike Tomlin has sat down with George Pickens to have a conversation in the broader spectrum about his maturity and where it needs to go. More than that, Pickens sat down with Warren and vowed to block for him next time that situation arose. Of course, this is all talk and speculation about a broader question.
Mike Tomlin’s tenure as Steelers’ head coach is at a crossroads, so people have run with that to make Pickens part of the more extensive conversation. On the micro view, Pickens needs to showcase the growth that Tomlin hopes to see over the next three weeks within the confines of a putrid offensive scheme, which does nothing to help anyone who plays in it.
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