George Pickens will start against the Bengals, according to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, but he has some tough advise for the wide receiver. Tomlin believes Pickens’ previous blunders will help him grow.
An unusual midweek media conference was led by Mike Tomlin, who sought to fan the flames that are now consuming George Pickens. This past Saturday’s loss to the Colts left the second-year receiver for the Packers under intense scrutiny. He attempted to defend his conduct in a contentious manner on Tuesday and also criticized the media.
Pickens won’t escape consequences for his recent acts, according to Tomlin, even if he will start Saturday’s crucial game against the Bengals. Tomlin did not say what those potential penalties are or might be.
“George is a talented guy but he’s growing and growing in a lot of ways in regards to football and life,” Tomlin stated on ESPN. We don’t flee from that. Organizationally, when we draft guys, we go to that. We are dedicated to supporting them at every step of their development.”
Going ahead, Tomlin wants Pickens to handle the media with greater professionalism. Pickens attributed his current criticism on the media rather than his recent on-field behavior. “When you’re winning and doing your jobs, a lot of the attention is on things such as that,” Tomlin explained. “You should keep your lips shut and realize that it also attracts a particular kind of attention when you’re losing and not performing your job. Typically, that attention is vulture-like.”
Regarding Pickens’ rationale to the media last Saturday regarding his failure to stop teammate Jaylen Warren’s run (Pickens said he didn’t want to get hurt), Tomlin stated that Pickens had not given him that explanation when they spoke about it.Pickens’ predicament, according to Tomlin, is not exclusive to him and is essentially a replay of predicaments he’s encountered with other players. According to Tomlin, he and the Steelers have had success in the past in assisting players in their development as young people.
To the reporter who questioned about the locker room’s response to Pickens’s statement that he didn’t want to be harmed, Tomlin said to “ask them.”ย The topic was discussed on Tuesday by Pittsburgh’s receiving corps veteran Allen Robinson II.
“That’s something that he has to compartmentalize and understand in that situations, regardless in the league, you’ve got to put the efforts out there to create winning habits,” Robinson stated to Steelers Now. In any case, I believe that younger players could need more time to comprehend or recognize it.
“His ability to recognize that and how certain on-field efforts, whether it be a touchdown or a tackle at the 1, or so on and so forth, can kind of be game-changing events. Fortunately, we were able to score on that drive, but we still need to keep assisting him in comprehending and separating the larger picture of the team’s efforts.”
Pickens should put in a stronger effort on Saturday, one would think. However, if not, don’t expect the home crowd to give him a free ride, since they have grown disenchanted due to the team’s recent losing run
The present circumstances surrounding Pickens are the most recent in a turbulent season for the Steelers, a squad that was predicted to contend for a division title. It hasn’t been any easier for the Steelers, who have lost to two 2-10 teams and coped with a plethora of ailments since firing their offensive coordinator in Week 11.
Pittsburgh may still make the playoffs in spite of all of its problems if it wins its last three games, which begin on Saturday against Cincinnati.