New Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens seems to be fitting in well with his new team after the Steelers traded him to Dallas earlier this offseason.
As Pickens prepares for his first season with America's Team, he shares the same goal as the franchise and its fanbase.
“I’ve been watching the Cowboys for years," Pickens told 105.3 The Fan on Monday. "I’ve always wanted to see them back in the Super Bowl. That’s why they’re so legendary, for that reason.”
Later during Pickens's interview, he added that he could see the Cowboys as a "permanent" home in large part because of the team's camaraderie and Dallas's history of winning Super Bowls—an interesting comment as Pickens isn't old enough to have seen the Cowboys win one in his lifetime.
“Oh yeah, most definitely," Pickens said. "Because I’ve watched the team for so long, and the camaraderie. I kind of understand the camaraderie more than I did in Pittsburgh. Even with what you guys do. The Cowboys, like I said, are known for the Super Bowl. If they weren’t known for that then no one would care about the Cowboys. They’re known for that and then the camaraderie of the people give that same energy, because they also want to see it again. I think I definitely understand it more here, the people more here than I did up there. Because I’m from the South. That’s a whole another deal.”
If Pickens has spent his time watching grainy NFL Films footage of Roger Staubach going up against the Steel Curtain or "the triplets" rolling to three Super Bowl victories in four years during the 90s, then surely he has watched plenty of footage of the Cowboys playing for Super Bowls. Historically, the Cowboys are one of the teams known for their play in the Super Bowl. They've been to eight Super Bowls—second most in NFL history—and won five.
However, Pickens was born in 2001 and is 24 years old. The Cowboys have not been to the Super Bowl or even an NFC Championship Game in his lifetime. Dallas actually has the longest NFC Championship Game drought and have not been to the conference title game since January 1996.
In Pickens's lifetime, the Patriots have been most known for their Super Bowl appearances and since the end of the Brady/Belichick dynasty, the Chiefs have most recently emerged as a constant Super Bowl contender. Even Pickens's old team, the Steelers, have appeared in three Super Bowls over his lifetime. The Cowboys might have a rich history, but Pickens has not gotten to experience any of those historic moments in real time.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as George Pickens' Comments About Cowboys' Super Bowl Reputation Are Ironic.
