Cowboys receiver George Pickens didn't play well against the Lions, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer has defended his receiver.
Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens has been a model citizen since arriving in the offseason, but against the Detroit Lions, the receiver didn't have his best game.
In fact, it was bad, and everyone is allowed to have a bad game here and there...or so we thought.
The noise after the game has been loud, and Pickens' performance, one can say, warranted it, with his energy and effort being questioned.
But looking back at the tape, what did George's head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, see that might have led to such a poor performance?
“Honestly, there was a little bit of things, he felt that he didn't play very well,” Schottenheimer said. “He knows he needs to play better, but he still made plays. He still took a lot of attention, which is why Ryan Flournoy and CeeDee were having the monster games that they had."
Pickens had been flying prior to Week 14, as he was borderline unstoppable, particularly against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, posting over 140 yards in both games.
But George came back down to earth in Detroit, and we know the spotlight is a little brighter in Dallas than in Pittsburgh, and a performance like Pickens had makes headlines.
However, as Schottenheimer explains, it's unfair to expect perfection on a week-to-week basis.
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"Each game is different, and no one plays every game or coaches every game perfect," Schottenheimer added. "We all have to be better. But what I'm pleased about is just the way he's come in, and not just Wednesday, but Thursday. I'm talking about two really good days of practice. Hopefully that's great news for us heading into Sunday night.”
Our Cowboys and NFL insider Mike Fisher's reaction to Schotty's remarks and his prediction for Pickens on Sunday night?
"What Pickens demonstrated in practice this week was a pep-in-his-step chip-on-his-shoulder approach,'' Fish reports. "Perfection? Maybe not. But watch for Dallas to respond to Minny's double-team strategy vs. CeeDee Lamb by setting up Pickens for success.
So Pickens has taken the criticism in his stride and has gotten back to work at The Star this week as Dallas prepares for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
Some are giving George a grace period after his full body of work this season deserves it, but now everyone is on alert to the "old" Pickens habits from Pittsburgh.
Because having them rear their head once in 13 weeks is one thing, but twice in two weeks? That's another thing entirely.