FRISCO, Texas – Back in the day, and this is more instructional than "old-times syndrome," in my newspaper days this was the honorable thing to do.
You criticize a player, a coach, a coordinator or whoever, you show up the next day in the locker room or the facility to face the music. Why, you had your say, and if the player so chooses to call you out, well, only too fair.
Not today. Shameful hit-and-run journalism, and with social media it's hit-and-hide. And woe unto the criticized player for striking back, either in person or with some sort of post.
In fact, have this quote on my cubicle wall over my left shoulder from Mike Tyson. A favorite of mine in this turbulent day and age. Makes me smile.
"Social media made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it."
Now you get it. Not promoting any physical violence of any sort, but say what you want about "Iron Mike," he's right. Never any repercussions for spouting off half-baked opinions, either in print, social media or over the air, being radio or TV or podcast. Just free reign.
That brings us to the week that's been with Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, taking immense heat after the Cowboys' 44-30 loss to the now 8-5 Detroit Lions this past Thursday night. He finished with five catches for 37 yards even after CeeDee Lamb left the game early in the third quarter with a concussion.
Yes, the same George Pickens leading the Cowboys with 78 receptions for a team-leading 1,179 yards and a team-leading eight receiving touchdowns. That stat line ranks the fourth-year receiver seventh in the NFL for receptions, third in receiving yards and tied for the fifth most touchdown receptions.
Yes, that Cowboys wide receiver, already with four 100-yard receiving games, his 310 yards on slant receptions tops in the NFL. And since 2022 when the Steelers drafted him in the second round, Pickens' 16-yard average per catch (minimum 150 receptions) leads all NFL receivers over these four seasons with four games to go.
Oh, and let's point out this, too: In his quest to earn Pro Bowl recognition, with Lamb missing three full games and but seven snaps in a fourth, Pickens carried this team with 24 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns.
Yet the Thursday night TV postgame show dogged him out for lack of effort, lack of energy and lack of production, even though third receiver (now) Ryan Flournoy exploded for career highs with nine catches for 114 yards and one 42-yard touchdown. And he was robbed of a 23-yard catch when Pickens was called on a pick route the Lions defensive back picked off himself.
There was a reason. The Lions were making doubly sure that Pickens wasn't going to single-handily beat them.
Then, when Pickens lashed out on social media for the directed criticism on him, he got blasted again for doing so and ended up taking down the post. Couldn't win for losing.
Well, CeeDee to the rescue, who, by the way, has cleared concussion protocol and will play Sunday night against the Vikings at AT&T Stadium.
"I just feel like they were waiting on him to have a bad game," Lamb said. "They were quiet all season when he was averaging 110, doing crazy (good) things. But the one opportunity he gets and didn't step up to THEIR appreciation, I feel like for us to not come out victorious it wasn't all on him.
"I feel like when one of us goes out, D-coordinators are very smart. It's not like I go out and they stay playing the same coverage. I mean, they're going to lean coverage towards him. They're going to cheat (towards him). They are going to do different things. People are smart, people understand football. I don't know why people act like it's just night and day. They got jobs, too, over there, and people don't want to get fired. They know if they let G spin by himself, somebody is going to get fired."
Well, here we go. CeeDee is back and G, guaran-darn-tee you, will come out firing on all cylinders against the Vikings, a defense that loves to blitz under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. And really the best way to stop all those five-man, six-man and at times seven-man blitzes is to complete passes behind the chaos to take advantage of all the open spaces.Otherwise, they keep coming, as they did against Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, sending the house 28 times.
The Cowboys are aware, and not just Dak Prescott and the offensive linemen but the running backs and tight ends, too. They know they've got to step up, along with the wide receivers having to recognize those blitzes to cut off their routes in order to blunt this defensive chaos.
But to me, it's just a shame these pregame, half-time and postgame crews watching TV instantly have all the answers. But again, that's the world we live in. When a former player makes a comment, and so many are outspokenly attention-seeking, then most everyone just assumes they know what they are talking about … just because they played the game. Seems to be some guys assume they get a pass without doing their homework.
Now, GP hasn't been available for further comment after his social media rant this week. Probably a good thing and sure would be my advice. Just let your performance Sunday night on the nationally televised broadcast do all your talking.
Just as was my prediction after CeeDee struggled in the win over the Eagles with several out-of-character drops, on the second play of the next game against Kansas City, there was a slant pass to CeeDee. So Sunday night, by gosh, open the game with a slant to Pickens, and woe be unto the DB having to make the tackle.
Thought it indicative of the words coming out of here at The Star this week when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed the Pickens subject Friday during his 105.3 The Fan radio segment when saying this:
"I think the criticism of this last ballgame has been hard on (Pickens) and not justified. And I understand what we wanted to do, but there was more to it than met the eye, and let's just leave it all at that. A game like that leaves us all wanting more, and when we lost Lamb, it was glaring. … I don't know if I've ever seen a body of work for a season dismissed as quickly as it was with Pickens getting criticized against Detroit. And that's madness."
Madness would be one word to describe the past nine days. Me, could have used some other choice words, or the one I invented many moons ago "bull-poopy."
Seems like at times over the years, the Cowboys can't just lose a game. Can't get beat by another team playing well. The blame must fall on someone, be it the head coach, a coordinator and usually the quarterback or cornerback or maybe Charles Haley doing the unmentionable, finishing a game without a sack.
But a wide receiver? One who, as Jerry would go on to say of Pickens, "has really contributed to when we've had success and really has contributed to the promise of success. He's a big part of what we're looking at the next four ballgames."
And that starts at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at AT&T, the Cowboys continuing this rocky road that began with playing the Eagles the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, a six-game stretch of playing six consecutive teams with winning records last year. Six consecutive playoff teams from last year. Three division champs out of the six, and the two Super Bowl participants from last year … beating both.
So now, three more of those to go: Vikings, Chargers and Commanders. And nothing short now of winning five of those six games, along with winning those and a fourth straight in the season finale against the New York Giants, would give the Cowboys a playoff chance.
Anyone have any of that even possible on their Cowboys 2025 Bingo card?
To me, GP arrived here by trade May 7 as somewhat of the Cowboys' Curious George. Not so curious anymore. Co-No. 1 receiver with Lamb.
So get off his back.
