Hey there Steeler nation, I need you to follow the bouncing ball as we all sing the “yinzer” fan favorite, “The Ballad of George Pickens.” The late Johnny Cash might even do a fly-by, if he doesn’t oversleep. I will be livestreaming from the gravesites of Lawrence Welk and his protégé, Mitch Miller. I’ll be hanging out with Maestro Welk because we share the same birthdates; March 11, 1903, and March 11, 1953, respectfully. It is up to you to guess who is older.
Let’s begin with former Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. From the very first moment that Pickens migrated from the Peach State to Pittsburgh’s North Shore, it was his destiny to be covered with glitter and grime. Even after the Dallas Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers on May 7, 2025, the attacks on George Pickens continued with a zombie-like zeal.
Also, a rumor was spread around that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was forced to leap in and out of a lion’s cage wearing a sportcoat tailored from filet mignon and was also required to accept the position of the “Barber of Seville” to give Medusa her monthly fresh cut in order to complete the deal.
Even after completing those daunting requirements, many people continued an additional demand requiring that every drop of blood must be extracted from the NFL resident turnip, otherwise known as Jerry Jones. Tommy Jaggi posted this article, “Steelers fans just got every reason to root for George Pickens in Week 3.”
Mr. Jaggi wrote: “The George Pickens trade doesn’t feel any better a year later. On May 7, 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent Pickens packing his bags for the Dallas Cowboys. Their 2022 second-round pick would go on to have a career season on his new team.
Pickens raked in 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his first year in Dallas. And the Steelers look like even bigger losers in the deal after they turned the third-round pick they received from the Cowboys (No. 76 overall in 2026) into polarizing quarterback Drew Allar. But as much as it might pain fans to root for Pickens’ success, we should all be hoping for the ex-Steelers wideout to have a monstrous showing in Week 3 of the 2026 season. Once again, the Ravens pose the biggest threat to the Steelers. That’s where George Pickens comes in. It always seems like it comes down to the wire between the Steelers and Ravens. With Mike Tomlin gone, perhaps this will finally be the year that Pittsburgh isn’t in the running for the division by the season finale. We obviously won’t know Pittsburgh’s end-of-season status in September, but to be safe, we should root for George Pickens and the Cowboys to defeat the Ravens in Week 3.”
When George Pickens sailed into Pittsburgh piloting his yacht, “The Slim Pickens,” the “yinzer nation” could not find or accept the slightest reason to support him, even for a paltry five minutes. Yet, they will support him and his current team, the Dallas Cowboys for 60 minutes because of the possibility that Pickens may help the Steelers in their quest for another AFC North crown.
Mr. Jaggi all but admitted that he was the leader of the “hypocrites from hell” when he wrote: “But as much as it might pain fans to root for Pickens’ success.”
How can any fan or writer be in pain rooting for a player, any player that can help them? There is no place in sports or anywhere else in the world, for this wicked and undeserved bias.
If the Steelers would have retained Pickens, they would not have to rely on the Cowboys to help them stay a leg up in the fight to claim an AFC North title in 2026.
The only name that many Steeler fans yelled and screamed when George Pickens was introduced during the pregame ceremonies at Acrisure Stadium in 2024 was “BOO” and certainly not “honey boo boo.”
However, if George Pickens happens to tweak a muscle or lightly sprain an ankle prior to the week 3 matchup of the Ravens versus the Cowboys later this year and the Ravens prevail, the only advice that I have for you is to call my cousin Karma, and give her an earful, post haste!
Throughout my four decades-plus journey as a scribe, I have read and deciphered many soulless articles written under the cover of night. Conjured up in dark rooms, depicting Black athletes and Black coaches under “black lights,” written on whiteboards with text illuminated by ultra-fluorescent magic markers. They then proceed to preserve these tainted works so that their handiwork may be safely transported to fortresses built and maintained by their ignorance and perverted imaginations.
The following is a perfect example of their “ghost journalism.” Brogan Noey, Senior Writer at steelernation,com, posted the following: “Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Just Exposed Mike Tomlin’s Biggest Weakness: More Detailed Quarterback Feedback Than Tomlin Gave in Years.” Mr. Noey writes: “Every head coach in the NFL has their specialties. Tomlin’s was being a player’s coach and getting the most out of his team. He was the ultimate motivator, and that is a big reason the Steelers typically remained somewhat competitive even with a struggling roster. McCarthy is not the same type of coach. He is going to use X’s and O’s on the offensive side of the ball to his advantage, and he is going to work to find Pittsburgh its next franchise quarterback. It’ll be very different, but it is probably what is needed.”
Will Mike McCarthy be able to use the same X’s and O’s to break down the Steelers defense as well as he can break down the Steelers offense? I doubt it very seriously! Throughout the years that Aaron Rodgers was in the stable of Mike McCarthy, the dynamic duo only competed in one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLV! Rodgers accomplished a few personal feats, but in the end, it was not about the team. They both coveted personal gains and achievements. But when it was all said and done, they were both given a trunk full of Wisconsin cheese and a case of Metamucil by the city of Green Bay. They also received two one-way tickets for an all-expenses-paid cruise to the Bermuda Triangle. However, if not for the courage of the Steelers crew that rescued Rodgers and McCarthy, the ship transporting them would have certainly been sucked into the “vortex of unemployment.”
Let’s look at the subject of superior coaching.
Mike Tomlin began coaching for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 at the tender age of 29. He was merely 31 years old when he coached the Buccaneers’ secondary and won Super Bowl XXXIII. In that game, the secondary of Mike Tomlin picked off the Oakland Raiders QB Rich Gannon five times and three were pick sixes.
Tomlin also competed in two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning Super Bowl XLIII and losing Super Bowl XLV. The only Super Bowl coaching experience that Mike McCarthy has ever had was as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowl XLV. Mike McCarthy reached four NFC Championship games as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, but he won only one of them. So much for this legendary offense. Mike Tomlin won two AFC Championships during his 19-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regarding as to who the the more successful coach might be, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coaching job will be the third head coaching job in 18 seasons for Mike McCarthy. ‘Nuff said.
