Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens responded Friday to former NFL cornerback and current Prime Video NFL analyst Richard Sherman’s criticism of his play following Dallas’ 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
In a since-deleted post on his Instagram Stories, Pickens wrote, “This is a team game lmao. I’m not the only one on the team. Stop becoming an analyst and talking about one player when he playin’ a team’s game. Lots of shh has to go right for explosive plays. And it’s funny cause I thought former players would know that such as p—y ass Richard Sherman, who btw ain’t shh without the Legion of Boom. We all remember San Francisco, brother. Much love. Don’t speak on me unless you know the game of football. As a former player, not a d–kriding fan/analyst that act like double team is not a thing or certain bracket coverages don’t exist. Knowing you played ball, which show me you a leach, weirdo. Now Twitter eat this up. Clouted ah wrld.”
Sherman condemned Pickens for a perceived lack of effort, saying during the postgame show that Pickens looked “uninterested in playing football,” and that he “half-assed it.”
In a post on X, Sherman responded to Pickens’ Instagram post, writing that Pickens “hasn’t done enough to merit a response from me.”
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer later told reporters that he would speak to Pickens about the post.
Dallas acquired Pickens in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while he gained a reputation for putting in lax effort and having an unpredictable attitude at times in Pittsburgh, those issues hadn’t really presented themselves with the Cowboys.
The 24-year-old wideout has already set career highs this season in receptions (78), receiving yardage (1,179) and receiving touchdowns (eight), and he is second only to Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba in NFL receiving yardage this season.
When Cowboys No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb left Thursday’s game early in the second half with a concussion, it was widely expected that Pickens would take over and put up big numbers like he has all season long.
However, he finished with only five catches for 37 yards, and quarterback Dak Prescott instead honed in on Ryan Flournoy, who had nine grabs for 115 yards and a touchdown.
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Sherman accused Pickens of going through the motions on some of his routes, while Pickens seemed to suggest that the Detroit defense keying in on him is what limited his production.
The 37-year-old Sherman was one of the best corners of his generation, starring with the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2011 to 2021.
Sherman was a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time First Team All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl who was part of Seattle’s celebration Legion of Boom secondary, as alluded to by Pickens.
The Legion of Boom played a huge role in the Seahawks reaching and nearly winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014.
Dallas hasn’t done much winning over the past couple of seasons, but after reeling off three straight wins over the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, there was hope for a potential playoff run.
However, with Thursday’s loss, the Cowboys are now 6-6-1, and they may have to win each of their final four games in order to have a legitimate shot at the postseason.
