Cowboys Trade For George Pickens

[Chocolate Lab]

Anyone else just learn a new word?

 

[Genghis Khan]

Sold out of what?

 

[UncleMilti]

I just wonder if a guy like Pickens believes CeeDee is more talented than he is. He may not.

And just for the record, of course even skeptics like me love his talent. The talent is obvious for everyone to see. I'm sure he'll have a few Stay Down BIznatch moments on CBs. The question is can he act right and will the problems be worth it. I seriously doubt it. If he can, then of course his talent helps the team.

I’ll give credit to the Doofus Twins for going out and signing a real WR to team with Lamb which should instantly raise this offense to Elite status.

But, I look at it from the perspective of leadership. Did Pickens have anyone on the Steelers team that commanded respect and kept everyone in line? The only one I can think of is Tomlin. And for all practical purposes he threw his hands up and said he couldn’t get thru to Pickens.

Over to the Cowboys, we know there’s usually a lack of true leadership in the locker room and that the lines are blurred at the coaching level thanks to Jones. That usually results in dysfunction for the big name players on the roster.
I think that’s the biggest issue I see with the signing…a somewhat troubled but talented WR who needs discipline and leadership to get the best of his abilities out on the field and unfortunately Dallas isn’t structured and put together that way. It’s definitely a gamble.

 

[ravidubey]

Pickens has a bit of the Irvin push off in him. I will say he’s usually being aggressively grappled by a DB when he does it, but it’s clearly a part of his game.

Going to get called in Dallas

 

[Bipo]

Sold out of what?

Cake?

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Pickens has a bit of the Irvin push off in him. I will say he’s usually being aggressively grappled by a DB when he does it, but it’s clearly a part of his game.

Going to get called in Dallas

I hate when a WR is being held and then gets called for pushing off. DBs try to get really grabby with Pickens. Probably because he does a lot of jawing and is physical.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Over to the Cowboys, we know there’s usually a lack of true leadership in the locker room and that the lines are blurred at the coaching level thanks to Jones. That usually results in dysfunction for the big name players on the roster.
I think that’s the biggest issue I see with the signing…a somewhat troubled but talented WR who needs discipline and leadership to get the best of his abilities out on the field and unfortunately Dallas isn’t structured and put together that way. It’s definitely a gamble.

I don't know if we necessarily lack leadership but I agree with the blurred lines part. We have an organization where if you're not happy with the coach and you're a star player, you just go to the owner. Players know that they can go to Jerry and he will trump the coach.

Here is my take on Pickens. I think he is a well liked player by teammates. I think he is passionate about winning and dominating. I don't think he is a guy that you have to worry about beating a woman or being involved in a shooting. Where the problem comes up is when things aren't going well. When you're losing games or your offense isn't doing shit. I think that's when Pickens starts to go south. He has that mentality that if things aren't going well, you need to get me the ball so that I can carry this thing. Everything I just described is pretty spot on for a description of Dez Bryant as well.

Basically if we are winning games and the offense is rolling, I don't think you'll see any problems with Pickens. My concern is if things start going south, I think it has the formula to go really south with Pickens. If the offense is sucking or the team is losing that's when Pickens is likely to explode. Especially if he isn't producing numbers while that is happening.

 

[Simpleton]

I don't know if we necessarily lack leadership but I agree with the blurred lines part. We have an organization where if you're not happy with the coach and you're a star player, you just go to the owner. Players know that they can go to Jerry and he will trump the coach.

Here is my take on Pickens. I think he is a well liked player by teammates. I think he is passionate about winning and dominating. I don't think he is a guy that you have to worry about beating a woman or being involved in a shooting. Where the problem comes up is when things aren't going well. When you're losing games or your offense isn't doing shit. I think that's when Pickens starts to go south. He has that mentality that if things aren't going well, you need to get me the ball so that I can carry this thing. Everything I just described is pretty spot on for a description of Dez Bryant as well.

Basically if we are winning games and the offense is rolling, I don't think you'll see any problems with Pickens. My concern is if things start going south, I think it has the formula to go really south with Pickens. If the offense is sucking or the team is losing that's when Pickens is likely to explode. Especially if he isn't producing numbers while that is happening.

This is all true although Pittsburgh managed to sneak into the playoffs the last two years with a horrific offense overall, so I think we've already seen the worst he can act.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

This is all true although Pittsburgh managed to sneak into the playoffs the last two years with a horrific offense overall, so I think we've already seen the worst he can act.

Yeah I mean you can't get much of a worse situation for a WR. No QB, no other weapons to draw the defenses attention. No real star RBs (Najee Harris was the leading rusher but produced at a lower level than Dowdle did last year) It's amazing how they were able to sneak into the playoffs.

The formula kind of reminds me of Parcells getting to the playoffs with Quincy Carter at QB. You don't have to be good at running the ball, you just run it. You play great defense. And occasionally you have a big play from the one weapon you do have on offense. Although even that team at least had Glenn, Galloway and Antonio Bryant (Yes, I had to look it up because my mind only remembered Antonio Bryant on that team)?

 

[Simpleton]

Yeah I mean you can't get much of a worse situation for a WR. No QB, no other weapons to draw the defenses attention. No real star RBs (Najee Harris was the leading rusher but produced at a lower level than Dowdle did last year) It's amazing how they were able to sneak into the playoffs.

The formula kind of reminds me of Parcells getting to the playoffs with Quincy Carter at QB. You don't have to be good at running the ball, you just run it. You play great defense. And occasionally you have a big play from the one weapon you do have on offense. Although even that team at least had Glenn, Galloway and Antonio Bryant (Yes, I had to look it up because my mind only remembered Antonio Bryant on that team)?

We had Keyshawn for a year or two also, not in 2003 but I want to say maybe 2004-05.

 

[bbgun]

I will admit, I'm pessimistic. But I just can't remember a trade like this working out for us that well. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Most of Jerry's "quick fix" trades for receivers have failed (McKnight, Galloway, Roy Williams, Cooks, etc.) Even Cooper was a disappointment in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Even Cooper was a disappointment in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I wish we could go back in time and have just drafted Pickens in the second round of that 2022 NFL draft. He didn't exactly make it to our pick but pretty close. We of course took Sam Williams. And then followed it with Tolbert in the third round (Claiming we almost took him in the second he was so good).

But ultimately this is why I want us to be aggressive in finding weapons in the draft. Had we gone and gotten Pickens we wouldn't have Sam Williams right now and we wouldn't have Tolbert. But maybe we take a better player with that third round pick. Either way we would have our third round pick next year instead of giving it up in this trade. And over the last 3 years we would have had Lamb paired with Pickens instead of the constant struggle to find a #2 receiver.

But instead of just drafting a guy like Pickens (Maybe that didn't exist in this draft) we traded for Pickens and will likely be back in the exact same situation next offseason with no third round pick in the draft and on the search for a #2 WR again.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Most of Jerry's "quick fix" trades for receivers have failed (McKnight, Galloway, Roy Williams, Cooks, etc.) Even Cooper was a disappointment in the grand scheme of things.

Cooper wasn't a disappointment. Jerry just became a cheap butt hurt human. McKnight, Galloway and Roy Williams were all failures relative to what we paid. Cooks wasn't a disappointment. He gave us plenty relative to what we gave up. But when you trade a sixth round pick for a guy on the downside of his career I think we got relatively even value.

We also traded for Terry Glenn if I remember correctly. Dallas loves trading for WR's.

 

[bbgun]

Cooks wasn't a disappointment.

He was less successful here than his previous stops, and he wasn't technically "old" yet. We got him to be the speed guy who could stretch the field and he wasn't.

 

[Simpleton]

He was less successful here than his previous stops, and he wasn't technically "old" yet. We got him to be the speed guy who could stretch the field and he wasn't.

He was well worth it in 2023 then got hurt last year, while looking like he's lost a step. He's not "old" necessarily but all guys age differently and he obviously has declined a bit physically.

I wouldn't call him a disappointment though, he was traded to be a bandaid vet who could be a competent 2, which he was in 2023 when we were the damn 2 seed in the entire conference.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Chocolate Lab]

We also traded for Terry Glenn if I remember correctly. Dallas loves trading for WR's.

That was over 22 years ago now. RW11 was 17 years ago. :-/

 

[Cowboysrock55]

That was over 22 years ago now. RW11 was 17 years ago. :-/

Listen, the Galloway trade still feels fresh to me. That was like the beginning of the fall for this franchise. 2 flipping first round picks. Thinking about it almost makes me feel better about the Pickens trade only being a third round pick.

 

[Cujo]

Most of Jerry's "quick fix" trades for receivers have failed (McKnight, Galloway, Roy Williams, Cooks, etc.) Even Cooper was a disappointment in the grand scheme of things.

I don't consider him a disappointment but he was only here for 3.5 seasons and that's not a great return on a 1st round pick.