'Thrown Under The Bus'? Cowboys Questioning George Pickens' Effort

It's no secret that Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens hasn't been as involved in the offense as many envisioned he would be entering the season.

While Pickens has still totaled at least 70 receiving yards in each of his last four games, that is a little deceiving, as George only had one reception for 16 yards in the first half against the Green Bay Packers.

There haven't been consistent big explosive plays, and at times you hardly know he's out there.

Several explanations exist for why Pickens - often touted as an "All-Pro-level'' receiver and one who some (foolishly) suggest is even better than running mate CeeDee Lamb - hasn't been the star weapon we saw last year, but now, once again, his route running is becoming a topic of conversation.

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Especially after the Packers game where he struggled to get into the game in the first half.

Bead coach Schottenheimer, he doesn't see George getting mentally impacted by not getting the ball.

And he might have just given his receiver a little barb about his list of responsibilities on offense.

"GP is one of those guys where I don't ever see him really affected in terms of the emotion of does he get the ball, does he not get the ball," Schottenheimer said. "These guys play a lot of snaps. I think part of it is us rotating those guys through ...''

But the coach continued ...

"He needs to understand that he impacts us in the running game. He's got to do the same thing in the run game, picking up safeties and blocking corners, just like Javonte does, picking up blitzes so he can catch balls. That's part of the team-first mindset and GP does understand that.

Hmm, okay Schotty. But does "GP'' "understand'' it?

If so, why would the coach need to bring it up in public?

As our Mike Fisher said, "I'm not saying Schotty is throwing George under the bus, but he's damn sure telling Pickens where the bus is parked.''

Fish also suggests that it's more than just Pickens' blocking efforts that are under question, and that coach is mentioning that aspect when maybe, say, crisp route-running on plays during which the ball isn't going to him also are sometimes not up to stadards.

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Schottenheimer usually defends Pickens when his effort (or lack thereof) is brought up, but this time he made it clear that George has to put in more effort when the ball isn't coming his way.

To me, that's telling.

Now, is it panic time? Not yet, no, but Schottenheimer's comments hint that, for the first time, at least publicly, Dallas isn't totally fine with what is being put out on film with Pickens.

And this now becomes a key storyline to watch in the coming weeks (and in terms of George's contractual future) because it feels like Pickens has been put on notice, even just a little, by his head coach.

Let's see if it makes a difference.