UPDATE (12:41 AM): Per an article by The Trib’s Joe Rutter, a Steelers PR employee clarified that Pickens was “confused” about the timing of the meeting. Per his article.
Our original story is below.
“Asked about the meeting, Pickens denied it took place. A public relations representative later clarified that Pickens was confused about the time element of the meeting.”
To hear Mike Tomlin tell it, he and George Pickens had a great meeting sometime following the New England Patriots game. Going over how defenses take away an opposing offense’s top targets and how to handle frustration so it doesn’t consume you and knock you off your game. All encouraging things between a veteran head coach and young player.
To hear George Pickens tell it, that meeting didn’t happen. At least not anytime recently.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Pickens was asked about the meeting Tomlin claimed they had.
“No. Last week, we played the Colts,” Pickens said via video from the PPG when asked if a meeting took place. “I [didn’t have] any conversation with Coach T. Just working, just keep getting better.”
So what’s going on here? It’s hard to say but here’s what we know. On the morning of every gameday, Steelers.com posts the transcript of a conversation between Tomlin and writer/editor Bob Labriola. Here’s the full question and the main part of Tomlin’s response as it pertains to Pickens.
“Q. When you were asked whether it was a problem that George Pickens has openly voiced his frustration on the sideline during games, you said, “it’s a problem because it’s not solution-oriented.” How can you get him to a place where those things are more solution-oriented?
A. Education. He and I had a great meeting this week. We were just talking about the New England agenda. I’m familiar with the agenda because I’ve just been a component of it in the past. When you have a dynamic player, oftentimes from a game playing perspective, you’ll pick a block of time or block of plays where you’re just going to deny that guy the ball and make others beat you. And the agenda is to keep the ball out of the hands of a significant player, but also if it’s a significant player it’s to create angst within him and within that unit. The quarterback feels pressure to get him the ball and have him included. The player feels pressure because he wants his talents to be a part of moving the football.”
Labriola’s question comes from Tomlin’s comments on Monday, Dec. 11 during Tomlin’s weekly press conference (held on Monday due to the Steelers playing on Saturday, bumping everything up one day), expressing some level of concern with Pickens’ continued and obvious frustration. So we know the interview with Labriola happened sometime after that point.
Throughout the conversation, Labriola refers to the Colts game as being played “today.” At first glance, it suggests the interview took place on Saturday. But these interviews are also aired on the radio, the audio of their conversation, on gameday so knowing that and how early these articles are posted (this one running at 6:30 AM), it’s highly doubtful they’re being conducted on gameday.
We know Tomlin’s weekly show, The Mike Tomlin Show with host Bob Pompeani, is normally held on Tuesdays right before his noon press conference. It’s most likely Tomlin holds these interviews with Labriola on the players’ day off. This past week, that would’ve come later on Monday.
All of that is to say, it’s hard to know what Pickens is referring to. It’s clear that Tomlin’s conversation with Labriola happened after the Patriots game, not before it, which puts it in the timeline of happening sometime over the last week.
Ultimately, what matters if that Pickens plays well and becomes detail-oriented to help the team win. But it seems like every time Pickens talks, something he says doesn’t quite seem to add up. Whether it’s this or the time he claimed there were no comments on his Instagram page, something that was categorically false.
And whatever message is trying to be sent from Tomlin and company to him, it’s not working.
