Pittsburgh Steelers fans lashed out at wide receiver George Pickens after an uncomfortable postgame interview following their playoff loss.
The Steelers lost their Wild Card game to the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, losing 28-14 in a game that was not as close as the scoreboard suggested.
At a postgame press conference, Pickens gave an unorthodox answer about the direction of the team.
“George, you’ve been with this offense for three years, have you seen signs of growth?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, I’ve seen signs of growth, for sure. From the first year I’ve been here, just way more growth, for sure,” the 23-year-old replied.
The reporter followed up, “Does that make you optimistic going forward?”
“Uh, nah,” Pickens quickly replied.
‘George was confused by the question.’
This sent fans into an obvious frenzy, who then mocked the receiver and asked how soon he could be kicked out of town.
The most popular response by far from fans was to suggest that Pickens didn’t understand what he was being asked.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t know what that meant,” a Cleveland fan wrote.
“George was confused by the question, not trying to be negative,” another fan replied.
Yet another fan thought, “There’s an outside chance he doesn’t know what optimism is.”
Many other fans said Pickens hasn’t lived up to expectations, with one disappointed supporter saying Pickens hasn’t “grown up” or improved “where it counts.”
While the Steelers’ passing game didn’t perform horribly on paper, the team went scoreless in the first half and found themselves in an awful game of catch-up to start the third quarter.
Quarterback Russell Wilson finished with 270 yards and two touchdowns but still struggled, as he did for several games leading into the playoffs.
“It’s time for a serious change in Pittsburgh,” one viewer suggested. “Starting with the coach and starting QB. Russell Wilson is washed up. They should have switched to Justin Fields by the second quarter.”
The overall fan sentiment seemed to be that Pickens isn’t giving it his all on the field. Fans accused him of giving up on plays and not finishing routes, along with having a horrible attitude.
One thing appeared certain going into the off-season, however; Pickens’ response coupled with the Steelers’ quarterback situation will have fans tearing each other apart.
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