Second-year Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens finds himself in the headlines and under the media microscope for the wrong reasons right now, due to his recent social media activity, and his body language on the sideline during the Week Nine win over the Tennessee Titans.
He’s a young player who is frustrated with his role in recent weeks in one of the league’s worst offenses, and rightfully so. But there’s a time and place, and a right way and a wrong way. Pickens seemingly chose the wrong path in both instances, but it’s a learning experience for the 22-year-old receiver.
Teammates rallied around him Wednesday during sessions with the media, and that followed up what head coach Mike Tomlin did Tuesday during his weekly media session, brushing off the frustrations and backing his young receiver for wanting the football.
That display publicly from Tomlin has CBS Sports’ Adam Schein loving what the long-time head coach did in the public setting, continuing to show why he remains one of the top coaches in the NFL, and one of the most respected.
“I absolutely love Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin coming to defense of his frustrated wide receiver George Pickens. I love it. Tomlin wants Pickens to want the ball. And honestly, this to me is everything,” Schein said on Time To Schein on CBS Sports Network. “And it’s similar when, when I had [Dallas head coach] Mike McCarthy on my radio show on SiriusXM a couple weeks ago and he said he loved [wide receiver] CeeDee Lamb saying, ‘Feed me the football.’
“And look, Diontae Johnson’s back. And that has impacted the touches and the throws in George Pickens direction. And also our guy Kenny Pickett has misfired on a couple of splash plays for George Pickens. But listen, I know that he unfollowed the Steelers on social media and unfollowed Kenny Pickett. I mean, as [former NBA star] Derrick Coleman once said, ‘Whoopty damn do, I don’t care.’”
Quite honestly, the social media stuff is a bit overblown. It’s a new digital age, players are on social media as much as anyone. That’s how they express their joy, their frustrations, everything. It’s a way of life now.
Though Pickens said he doesn’t mix football and social media during his quick session with the media Wednesday, it’s easy to see that’s not the case as he has posted a number of pictures relating to football in the past. It is what it is.
The more concerning thing is the body language on the sideline, especially after Johnson scored the go-ahead touchdown against the Titans, giving him his first touchdown since the Wild Card round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. Pickens didn’t celebrate with his teammates, ran off the field and was later seen sulking on the bench with a towel over his head.
He had to be consoled by offensive coordinator Matt Canada on the bench throughout the game at times, too, which is a recurring thing for Pickens. Cameron Heyward, Johnson, and other team leaders have had to calm him down on the sideline at points in his young career.
But as Tomlin stated, you want receivers that want the ball. Pickett stated that to the media on Wednesday, too. It’s true. You want that alpha mentality at the position. There are just better ways to go about handling frustrations than the ways Pickens has.
Despite stating he absolutely loved Tomlin backing his young receiver, Schein somehow found a way to blame Matt Canada in the end of his diatribe on the situation, stating that the third-year offensive coordinator needs to do a better job of getting Pickens involved.
“And at the end of the day, Matt Canada needs to do a better job calling plays. …And George Pickens, who is an electrifying ball player with an attitude and a thirst to win, he’s the key to everything,” Schein said.
Since Johnson’s return to the lineup in Week Seven at the Los Angeles Rams, Pickens has 18 targets, including eight in the win over the Rams. He’s had five targets in each of the last two games as the Steelers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars and then beat the Titans.
Even without the high target numbers, Pickens is helping the Steelers win in other ways, including his run blocking as well as his general presence on the field. He needs to understand that it’s not all about him, and that when opportunities come his way in an offense that leaves much to be desired, he needs to take advantage.
He has the backing of his teammates and head coach. That’s the key. Now it’s time to put this all behind them and to stack wins.
