George Pickens participating in practice last Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
The prognosis for George Pickens' hamstring injury seems to be of the multi-week variety. During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin cast a cloud over Pickens' availability for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, saying he has an "outside chance" to play and that, if pressed, he'd lean toward ruling him out.
"(Pickens) could be categorized as doubtful as we sit here," Tomlin said. "Again, like we always do, we'll go through normal procedure. We'll let participation be our guide in terms of availability, and then obviously the quality of that participation."
Pickens initially tweaked his hamstring while working after practice on Thursday. Tomlin said Pickens felt "pretty good" on Friday as a limited participant in practice in an effort to keep him as healthy as possible for Sunday's win over the Browns. The initial plan was for him to play on, to use a baseball term, a "pitch count," limiting his snaps to more crucial situations such as third downs, red zone, etc.
But, Tomlin said when they got to the stadium Sunday, the injury was more significant then they had initially thought. They erred on the side of caution and opted to sit him, the first game he's missed in his three-year career, then get an MRI after the game, which confirmed the injury.
In regards to any long-term concerns regarding Pickens, Tomlin said they aren't operating in a way to preserve Pickens' health other than not wanting a "small problem to become a bigger problem." They are operating on a game-by-game basis and handling this injury the same as they have all other injuries this season, such as they had with Jaylen Warren and Nick Herbig, who've dealt with their own hamstring injuries. Should Pickens not play, Tomlin is excited about at least having players such as Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek and Mike Williams having more of an opportunity to be part of the preparation throughout the week.
"That's why I'm so high on the collective," Tomlin said. "Those guys might be new to us, but they're not new to the National Football League. They're pros. They behave that way. Whether you're talking about Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson or Ben Skowronek, for that matter, all guys have been in the NFL. I just think you saw shades on that in their performance and the consistency of their performance last weekend."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
12:58 pm - 12.10.2024South SidePickens likely out, at best doubtful vs. Eagles
GREG MACAFEE / DKPS
George Pickens participating in practice last Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
The prognosis for George Pickens' hamstring injury seems to be of the multi-week variety. During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin cast a cloud over Pickens' availability for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, saying he has an "outside chance" to play and that, if pressed, he'd lean toward ruling him out.
"(Pickens) could be categorized as doubtful as we sit here," Tomlin said. "Again, like we always do, we'll go through normal procedure. We'll let participation be our guide in terms of availability, and then obviously the quality of that participation."
Pickens initially tweaked his hamstring while working after practice on Thursday. Tomlin said Pickens felt "pretty good" on Friday as a limited participant in practice in an effort to keep him as healthy as possible for Sunday's win over the Browns. The initial plan was for him to play on, to use a baseball term, a "pitch count," limiting his snaps to more crucial situations such as third downs, red zone, etc.
But, Tomlin said when they got to the stadium Sunday, the injury was more significant then they had initially thought. They erred on the side of caution and opted to sit him, the first game he's missed in his three-year career, then get an MRI after the game, which confirmed the injury.
In regards to any long-term concerns regarding Pickens, Tomlin said they aren't operating in a way to preserve Pickens' health other than not wanting a "small problem to become a bigger problem." They are operating on a game-by-game basis and handling this injury the same as they have all other injuries this season, such as they had with Jaylen Warren and Nick Herbig, who've dealt with their own hamstring injuries. Should Pickens not play, Tomlin is excited about at least having players such as Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek and Mike Williams having more of an opportunity to be part of the preparation throughout the week.
"That's why I'm so high on the collective," Tomlin said. "Those guys might be new to us, but they're not new to the National Football League. They're pros. They behave that way. Whether you're talking about Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson or Ben Skowronek, for that matter, all guys have been in the NFL. I just think you saw shades on that in their performance and the consistency of their performance last weekend."
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