Jaguars clap back at George Pickens’ ‘hope’ comments

PITTSBURGH — It would not be a Jaguars against Steelers game without some trash talk. Each time these teams meet, it seems the talking gets going throughout the week, and on both sides this week, that has turned out to be true. On Thursday, George Pickens responded to the Jaguars’ secondary challenging him, saying that their defense is a ‘hope defense’ on the back end that relies on their defensive line.

“I think their D-Line they depend on their D-Line a lot,” Pickens said. “With their team having a lot of first-round picks on that D-Line, that’s what they depend on a lot. They kinda hope, hope that the guys hold up long enough, it’s kinda a hope defense.”

On Friday, the Jaguars heard the comments. Not only did players listen to it, but so did head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson is taking it as just typical banter throughout the week of an NFL game, even though it can provide some extra fire to the game. The head coach is shrugging it off.