Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens did not take the criticism he received from Richard Sherman lying down.
Pickens posted a profane post on his Instagram story Friday in response to criticism he received from Sherman over his performance in Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Lions. Pickens blamed double teams and bracket coverages for his quiet night, and added that it takes more than just him to create explosive plays.
“Stop becoming [an] analyst and talking about one player when he playin a teams game,” Pickens wrote. “Lots of shh has to go right for explosive plays, and it’s funny because I thought former players would know that such as Richard p—y a– Sherman who btw ain’t shh without the Legion of Boom. We all remember San Francisco, brother.”
Pickens has since deleted the post.
Sherman tore into Pickens after Thursday’s game, saying the wide receiver looked “uninterested in playing football” when the Cowboys needed a fourth quarter comeback. Sherman was not the only one who felt Pickens did not leave it all on the field, though Jerry Jones was not quite willing to go that far.
On the other hand, Pickens only caught five passes for 37 yards. He also committed two costly penalties worth 25 yards, and should have been featured heavily after CeeDee Lamb left the game due to a concussion. Questions about Pickens’ effort and discipline have hounded him going back to his time with the Steelers, too. Whether those questions are legitimate or not, bashing Sherman on social media probably will not bring anyone over to his side.