Pickens' response to Cowboys criticism does nothing but earn him more scrutiny for a perceived psychological weakness.
FRISCO - Far be it from me - a non-athletic old coot sitting comfortably in the press box - to question the "toughness'' of an NFL player.
That is undeniably an incredibly demanding job, mentally and physically, a point that I've emphasized often over the course of my 40 years covering the NFL, especially when a critic from the Peanut Gallery shouts out insulting remarks about a player lacking that aforementioned "toughness.''
But having said all of that?
A year ago, George Pickens coach in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin, announced that the gifted receiver needed to "grow up.''
And now I'm here to announce that Pickens - in the midst of an overall brilliant season after having been traded here to the Dallas Cowboys - sort of needs to ...
"Toughen up.''
I'm not talking, however, about his precipitous-plunge performances in Dallas' last two games, losses at Detroit and to Minnesota that essentially killed the Cowboys' playoff hopes with Pickens performing a disappearing act in both.
I am talking about George's media session this week, in which he first tried to deflect questions about the criticisms of his recent work - Pickens has an innocuous eight catches and 70 yards in the last two games - but then simply couldn't resist addressing this elephant in the room while offering a sliver of the immaturity that essetially ended his time with the Steelers.
First, he explained away his fade in X's-and-O's terms.
"Double coverage," Pickens said. "It's really that simple, just double coverage.''
I beg to differ. "Double coverage'' or "Cover-0'' or any other strategy employed by a defense should not guarantee bad stats and bad losses.
Furthermore, if it's that easy to "cover up'' star receivers to guarantee wins? You'd think the Dallas defense might try that.
But George was also asked about whether it seems like his critics have been lying in wait in anticipation of a slow-down after racking up 81 catches for 1,212 yards and eight TDs.
"That's definitely what it felt like, but I can't really get into that. Everybody's got a job to do…" Pickens said. "Some people's job is to do that, tear down character, see how much clicks they can get ...''
There might be some truth to that.
People who ripped Pickens a year ago, or who ripped Dallas for acquiring him, don't want to be exposed as being wrong.
And yes, we know live in an environment - in social media and in America in general - where hateful insults have sadly been "sanewashed'' into normalcy.
But when Pickens bothers to remark even on the fair criticism by saying that it's "starting to get kind of old, honestly''?
He's making a mistake that opens himself up to another level of criticism: That while he might be physically "tough,'' he's psychologically "soft.''
The naysaying trolls who know nothing should be ignored because they're so often wrong.
The fair analysts who saw Pickens jog through routes in Detroit should be acknowledged because they are simply right.
Playing for the Cowboys draws an incredible spotlight, and all the rewards and pressures that come with that. At the same time, this ain't Boston or New York or Philadelphia, where by now the tabloids would be destroying Pickens and the fans would be egging his house.
Pickens has experienced a spectacular season here and Dallas' plan is to retain him, by using the $28 million franchise tag if necessary.
But along this path as he drops the immaturity-related behavioral baggage that weighed him down in Pittsburgh, Pickens would do himself a favor by following up having "grown up'' with one more step forward as it regards that spotlight.
Now it's time to "toughen up.''